Currently Reacting

Mostly reactions and notes about my first time listening to the Magnus archives podcast

[hellostarposts]

Episode 88 - Dig

Enrique MacMilan

It's been a hot minute but Martin is still a wreck. 

Barisa is looking for Daisy.

Operational discretion 

Daisy is going to murder Jon 

This is either a grave digging thing or an archaeological thing

Ah secret third option. A guy with a metal detector.

This is when I am realizing how much I am going to struggle to remember all the tiny details.

Found a watch, face is cracked right down the middle and it is stuck at 4:19 (will sound silly but can i get a confirmation if this means AM. Do the Brits use the 24hr clock?)

“Not a bad little find” famous last words

How did it take him this long to discover the hand?

Fingers bent and bloody. Nails are chipped and broken. 

A BOOK

One word inside the book. DIG. 

The irony of the guy who doesn't like digging finds the book that compels the reader to dig. 

I’m sorry, its common for people to die in holes they dug?

Stealing crime scene evidence.

Ah the digging worms have already invaded this guys mind. 

Mole man.

This guy and the lady on tiktok digging a mineshaft should meet up.

Well now we know why the hand was all fucked up.

I just know that this guy leaves dirt everywhere he goes.

OOO a scrap happened and he left fingernail scratches on the floor.

Book was sealed in a metal box and labeled “do not touch”

Melanie. My wife!

Jude Perry, a person of interest.

Calliope Organ is missing from artifact storage.

Not able to make many connections at the moment. But I love mister mole man and they should've done an autopsy because there’s 100% dirt in those lungs.

note from future me. dirt in lungs is so relevant

[hellostarposts]

Episode 87- The Uncanny Valley

Sebastian Skinner

That last name instantly indicates that he might be important

Also, the bar is now high with that episode title.

Goergie is the only person with common sense in this series so far. 

She does sound like she’s begging an addict and that is very concerning.

GERTRUDE

Oh wait, another forest statement. Do we get more fairy circles?

You went at night? To a location that can only be found via coordinates? That’s one of the most unwise decisions we have seen so far.

Ah they offered to double his rate. Valid reasoning.

Mysterious lady is named Megan.

She was very still when waiting for him to respond.

She stood in the doorway with her arms outstretched.

I was not anticipating a forest cult. But I guess I somewhat did because I remembered the weird circle thing which was very cult-like.

Blood coming out of the drain.

Sebastian’s unbothered ness is what is going to save his ass.

Ah a fog clog. (Fats, oils, greases)

Megan looking sad that he wasn’t scared is kinda cute.

“They clearly don’t know anything about plumbing there”

Megan is in a bright blue and red costume.

Sebastian is now looking for slightly odd things.

A second lady who looks m e a n is now present.

“Hard plastic that's wrapped in raw bacon” and is super strong. Taxidermy things? It’s gotta be the taxidermy things coming back finally.

This is their second attempt to scare him.

Scratch that its the mannequins which isn’t that far off from my taxidermy guess. Because they do put mannequins inside of the animal hides.

This is a mannequin boot camp to kill humans.

What kind of name is “I don't know you”

Is this fire stuff linked to the other people that burn people when they touch them?

“The Stranger” is back. And i was right about the name being suspicious.

So The Stranger is after Gertrude and she’s received physical injuries by his group.

They are getting ready to perform “The Unknowing” which is a ritual and I assume linked to the forest circle thing with her picture in one of the bottles.

Direct countermeasures can be good but will likely end up in injury.

Jude Perry, member of the lightless flame, which is concerning involvement.

Orsonov, that’s a last name. Who wants to bring on suffering.

“I have no doubt that when the unknowing begins. One of the dancers will be wearing his face”

Ummm that’s a whole fucked up sentence. And I respect it.

Jon, I am not surprised that you haven't realized that you are likely doing the same method has Gertrude.

Is that a calliope I hear?

What is wrong with Jon’s face?

For starters, that was not an uncanny valley but I can forgive them because holy shit was that a big statement. So what we know now is that the “primary” antagonist that Gertrude was dealing with was The Stranger. Who is using the mannequin creatures to prepare for a ritual called The Unknowing. Originally, I was thinking that the mannequins were also trying to pretend to be human, but this statement kind of ruins it. However, we also have the taxidermy statement where there was an example of it working out. So maybe they just need to teach them how to kill before they can go out looking for a skin suit.

This theory would also work for the department store situation because it is very likely that had the statement writer not walked in on it. The mannequin would’ve taken the manager's skin but we will never know. Additionally, going back to the taxidermy shop one, the guy was planning on kidnapping the tax guy. Maybe, the people being killed in the boot camp are the same people who go missing after encounters with the things in some of the statements.

Also obviously, the unknowing is like an end of the world type situation but I have no clues for the how of it. Lastly, I want to say that im looking too far into this but every other time I've said that I still have some accuracy in my assumptions.

[hellostarposts]

Episode 86 - Tucked In

Tim is recording a statement?? YAY

Benjamin Hateendi

Tim is still so bitter. 

Okay Tim you’re talking to the girl who treapasses for fun and gets shot. The not quitting thing is not going to dissuade her. 

So is it the archives or the not-them still lurking that fucking with my wife’s memories. 

I’m completely okay with Melanie reading the statement. Tim was being a Debbie downer. 

Awe it’s so cute to see her bring film experience into these recordings. I love it so much. 

Those parents are assholes. 

Ah the hypocrisy of hiding under the blankets is still being in the dark. 

Receiving a mom wanting a welfare check phone call is not a great experience. 

Ah robin is not a good friend. 

AN INTRUDER!

Shadow people. 

I was fully expecting the lights to not work. 

Ah it was the second room that has no working lights. 

Less dust is a red flag. 

Oh it’s a dead body or a dead animal. 

For real this time it’s a silent hill monster. 

If the hand is just bones then it was way more than two weeks. 

We are no longer surprised by the cops being terrible at their job. 

“Sudden and urgent need to no longer be sleeping”

Fat and bulbous with no limbs. 

This is a giant version of a microorganism. 

Ugh Melanie’s voice actor is so good at the panicked tone. 

The thing doesn’t have object permanence. 

Reverse weeping angel. 

Getting too comfortable is indeed a bad thing. 

You didn’t give it enough attention so now it’s mad. 

Is this the season of the things taunting the victims. 

Also it was just playing a game the whole time for reasons. 

The marker thing is still adorable. 

Definitely was a section 31. 

Yes Melanie. Just the guys physique. 

Supplemental. 

Jon fucking leveled her with the “well why didn’t you send the police”. 

“Shot by a ghost”

I think that honesty is the best form of payment for getting Melanie to essentially be a spy. 

It’s always the ones that do the taunting that are good. I feel like this would’ve hit harder if I had been afraid of the dark as a child though. However, the concept of a monster playing by the rules of kid logic of “it can’t hurt me under the blanket” is absolutely devious. In all honesty if i was dealing with this and it was basically like “haha you fucking idiot” I don’t think it would get the chance to kill me. So embarrassing.  I hope that we see this thing again because I think that it could create either a very scary or very funny moment.

[hellostarposts]

Episode 85 - Upon The Stair

Jon is back!!

Mystery person seeing an unknown figure in their home. 

Poetry from William Hew hays?

Is this the insomnia girl?

This is why we don’t interpret poetry. 

Of fucking course it’s based on Nova Scotia. 

This is giving “the faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home”. 

Oh now the stairs are about to disappear. 

This person has lost all sense of reality. Sounds like insomnia or dementia. 

Okay so the spiral is Micheal like but his description has been very consistent. 

First mistake is taunting the ghost.

Is this the fucking babadook? Why is it always too many teeth?

Oh wait. Maybe this is like the first version of Micheal!

So it’s like the death thing where the person needs to do something and they switch places. 

Well Jon this is how we feel all the time. 

It’s not. It’s making a person so insane that they forget that they’re human. 

The who: Elias Bouchard 

The why: he needs to keep you paranoid

Georgie is the disappointed mom when catching Jon with another statement. 

Her going on a date just to have Hungarian food is a fucking vibe. 

“It tastes too Soviet” for real what does the mean. 

Georgie is friends with Melanie????

Georgie Barker

So we are all agreeing that this is like a warning about Micheal, right? Also, I’m assuming that Elias knows that Jon knows some stuff now. Which is why these statements have been curiously pertinent to the recent revelations. Don’t have much more to say about this one that I didn’t bring up when talking about Helen. A never ending spiral hallway and a never ending spiral staircase, only differ in the amount of leg pain you’ll be experiencing.

[hellostarposts]

Hello girls, gays, and theys.

I am in fact not dead and have not abandoned this blog. I have been very busy being an adult. I now seemingly have my feet firmly planted for once. Which means I’m back to listening to the podcast, and yes I’ve been recording my reactions slowly.

I’m not going to promise updates as frequently as they once were. Also, the word count of them will slowly but surely get better. I’m working with the belief that something is better than nothing.

As a teaser to my progress, I’ve reached that one TikTok sound. Also, Happy Pride!!

Cheers!

[hellostarposts]

Episode 84 - Possessive

Adrian Weiss

Awe Martin is now recording statements! How cute!

City kid moves to the country side. 

Gordon, weird short kid. 

Field that no one would go near. Also called Maggie’s dump. 

Maggie was a hoarder. 

Gordon would deliver food to Maggie. 

I’m surprised that seeing how close you could get to Maggie’s house hasn’t become a game for the kids. 

Is Maggie the spider?

Yes, running away would prevent you from seeing him coming out. 

So determined to help a friend they flew by the washing machine. 

The house stinks really bad. 

Suspicious pristine can of beans. 

So Maggie never ate the food? She’s definitely the spider. 

Nearly got dragged down into a hole. Which contained Gordon. 

Maggie likes paper mache 

Ummm so what. Is she using Gordon as a template for her bodily fluids paper mache. 

Gordie’s dump????

Poor Martin is not prepared for the statements. 

Awe he’s such a cutie apologizing for the tone change. 

Maggie left Gordon the land in her will. 

She’s got bugs inside of her. That doesn’t help disprove my spider claims. But it also lowkey sounds like another Prentiss. 

Her body disappeared over the night. 

Martin meets Melanie!!!

And she’s searching for Jon. 

My wife got shot? AGAIN Damn another cool scar. 

Now my wife is going to prove that Jon didn’t murder Leitner. 

Melanie doesn’t want to deal with the Not-Sasha shit. 

MELANIE GETS A JOB AT THE INSTITUTE BECAUSE SHES BROKE

Elias meets Melanie. And he watched the show. 

MY WIFE IS EMPLOYED!!!

Also Elias pointing out that qualifications don’t matter is great when he lied about his. 

Damn Elias hates the regular hiring process. 

I feel like this one is not meant to give me a decent amount of information until later. I’m convinced that she was a spider and that is now Gordon.

[hellostarposts]

Episode 83 - Drawing a Blank

Chloe Ashburt

Georgie is quite literally the only person who is able to be real with Jon.

How is he getting more statements?

Did he like steal some from the archives before running from the cops?

Ah retail horror, love it.

It’s going to be about mannequins isn’t it?

Good way to apply your education to your job.

NIghts at the circus is a wild theme for a department store to have.

I swear if this ties back to the circus crap.

What I’m hearing is that her manager was extremely patient with her and lowkey supportive of her.

Noticing that the mannequin is different is wild attention to detail.

Someone rearranged a mannequin.

Covered in red and purple pyjamas and red paint. Like a clown.

Could they have not confirmed that she didn’t do it via cameras.

Darn losing your special privileges.

Can’t believe they made someone who likes closing. That is the most unbelievable thing yet in this podcast.

Yep the mannequin is causing trouble.

That’s not Lana or it’s her being strangled.

The mannequin sucks at walking, who would've thought.

This would’ve sent me to the psych ward. 

Yeah, you would definitely be the primary suspect in this one.

Good thing the cops used my security footage ideas to prove your innocence.

Ah we know those cops are very good at covering stuff up.

Poor Jon realises that he definitely does need the help of others to be good at this kind of job. Not everyone can be like my wife.

The mannequin was going to wear Lana’s skin wasn’t it?

Off-white delivery van. More cockney guy shenanigans.

Wait, Chloe is a little person? (If that’s not the right word please tell me).

So now we think that the cockney guys are taxidermy beings? That’s less fun than just some guys making haunted deliveries. Brechen and Hope??? Is that the name?

Oh snap, Elias is being a drug dealer but with statements.

I’ve been told that there are going to be more mannequin episodes. When do we find out that they are hunting for skin to wear? Also, who the fuck is The Stranger and why is it said like I should know who that is referencing. At least we still get to have Jon being a little freak, much to Georgie’s dismay, and Elias smuggling him statements.

[hellostarposts]

Episode 82 - The Eyewitnesses

Alice “Daisy” Tonner is back.

Martin is giving a statement.

Corrupt cop Tonner is back in full force.

Martin is learning that you can’t trust cops.

Martin, your crush is showing.

Did the tape recorded turn back on?

Tonner can’t handle someone with just as much attitude as her.

Ooo Elias is sassy after murdering Leitner.

GO OFF ELIAS!!!

Calvin Benchley? Elias has blackmail on her? I know that i'm supposed to hate him. But I have chronic soft spots for evil characters.

He was her best friend? Oh Elias is mean.

Prior to the dead bodies, this is average kids stuff.

Elias knows e v e r y t h i n g 

Lipless scabby mouth?

Pointed black tongue???

So he attacked her and has become a thing of whatever that entity was.

So she killed him because he never got in trouble.

What is that throwaway line about the vampires?

Is anyone surprised that Tonner is this kind of person? Like really?

I have a feeling that Elias was the thing. No evidence for this.

Calling Michael “that weird finger guy” I love it so much.

Tim is at the end of his rope and I don’t blame him.

I surely hope that MArtin realizes that the conversation between Elias and Daisy was recorded. But I know that Elias won’t let that happen.

She deserved the scalping she just got. This has nothing to do with Elias being the one to deliver it, I just don’t care for the police. So it is confirmed that Elias is either The Eye or simply working for it. And he needs to protect Jon for reasons. Martin and Tim are staying true to their characters; nothing has changed on that front. I do hope that Martin is able to gain even just a little bit of agency in Jon’s absence however. It would be nice to see him taking more control over his/the situation. Why? Because he does not deserve to be spoken to the way that Tim has been and we know that it’s because Martin has empathy skills that most people don’t.

[hellostarposts]

Episode 81 - A Guest for Mr. Spider

Former head archivist?

Book from Jurgen Leitner.

What have you done Jon?

Jon is coming to terms that Leitner is not the devil.

Oh we get to find out about Jon’s childhood trauma.

I feel like calling Leitner “a spoiled child” is far too simplified. Yes, he definitely bit off more than he could chew and he did sacrifice many assistants. But he had good intentions, just like Jon had good intentions at the start of season one.

So Jon has or had a Leitner book and has been “claimed” by The Eye?

Ah the first was The Spider.

SHE GAVE IT TO YOU WHEN YOU WERE 8.

Don’t worry Martin likes the grays.

Ayyyyy he’s a member of the dead parents club.

Paternal grandmother explains a lot.

Jon needs so much therapy.

He was a hooligan.

He was born to be a historian/archivist.

“A guest for Mr. Spider” is actually a good book title. It could work for both a children's book or a horror novel.

Jon vibe checked the book, didn’t like it, and was still compelled to read it. As all the others were.

It’s a picture book. Was this not similar to the babadook? I don’t think that I watched it all the way through but I vaguely remember a picture book.

This book is going to teach us about the entities.

The Fly (Mr. Bluebottle): It's a cake that reminds you of disease.

Fly got merked for bringing something that the spider didn’t like.

WE FUCKING KNOW WHO THE SPIDER IS. I JUST REMEMBERED IT'S THE FOSTER HOUSE DUDE. RAYMOND FIELDING.

Mrs. Fruit: brought flowers that are likely dead. Who also gets merked.

Mr Horse who brought his son.

So is Raymond Mr. Spider or Mr. Horse?

A man in the park saved Jon’s life but he can’t remember the name. 

Scratch that, a teen who is a prick to Jon but helps grandma.

So the book compels the reader to go to Mr. Spider? The janky movement is obviously spider web puppet strings.

Ah the survivors' guilt is what forces Jon to be a prick to people.

Is Jon living with Melanie?? 

What Elias wants is that Jon is seen as a psycho.

Melanie has a podcast? I love that so much

Georgie???? Who is that?

So Jon is not having a mental breakdown like I predicted. Which is just slightly concerning. He is being assumed to have murdered Leitner, which we knew was coming. Who is Georgie? A spotify comment said that she’s his ex-girlfriend but it was only one so I’m inclined to not believe it. 

What I do still believe is that the other flies in the book represent some of the entities. Do I have any other reason than “Disease looking cake = Jon Amhurst” and “Yellow dress = Jane Prentiss” no. It’s too early to start getting into the weeds of all that

[hellostarposts]

Episode 80 - The Librarian

I think that it's safe to assume that mystery man is the librarian.

Jon thinks that everyone is a danger to him.

Norwegian?????

OMG ITS JURGEN LEITNER.

So its a book (seven lamps) that causes the victim to feel like the walls are closing in.

Additionally, said book interacts well with Smirkes architecture.

So I was right the tunnels were created by him.

We already knew that the books didn’t have to be read out loud.

So it was Jurgen changing the tunnels.

Awe it’s kinda sweet that he was changing the tunnels for Jon.

So the Not-Them was trying to get Leitner.

A disappearance.

Reading 1 or 2 words hides him from the prying eyes of Jon’s Master (elias).

Where are the tapes of Leitner talking to Gertrude.

Over 20 years???

Is in fact connected to mill bank prison.

Am I supposed to feel bad for Leitner? Because I’m starting to feel bad for him.

Leitner is just what Jon could become in the future.

He did not want to be a nepo baby.

Uh did Salesa learn from LEitner.

Smirke also had writings to accompany his architecture.

He got a house built to store the books.

Weird visitors, they are the “students”

One assistant was stabbed through the throat by a monster with too many teeth and limbs like knives.

One assistant was pulled into a cavernous moore that opened up on the floor.

Another ran into a door that shouldn’t have been there.

Another was plucked away by a hand that reached down from the ceiling.

Last one was pulled into a pulsating pile of meat.

Some rooms were consumed by darkness

Others were consumed by flames that left the books untouched.

At least Leitner is honest about the mistakes he made.

1000 books?!?! God, I want that many books.

Were him and Gertrude a thing?

All of Gertrude’s assistants died? 

Key of Solomon was a mistake. Several different powers.

ENTITY EXPLANATIONS INCOMING

Next to the world? That's a fun way to put it.

So the entities are in fact controlling the pocket dimensions.

Similar to the old pantheons but more complicated.

We glossed over how the church of the divine host is worshipping one of them.

So the books have some of the entity’s essence within them?

Micheal is The Distortion (it is lying)

The spiral is made to confuse and cause insanity.

Leitner did not kill Gertrude.

Mic drop is that it’s Elias.

Which files do you need?

So Elias manipulated the camera because he can control eyes?

Jon we all kinda knew that the institute was not a regular building,

The eye = the beholding

JON DON’T GO START SMOKING.

Awe Leitner misses Gertrude.

NOOOOO ELIAS IS GONNA DO IT AGAIN.

The Stranger?? The Unknowing???

So Elias wants to stop the entities but on his own terms.

Beating him to death is like the least efficient way.

Oh god the sound of dripping blood.

Ha ha Elias is an idiot and didn’t take the tape.

Jon is going into shock.

I still like Tim’s attitude about dealing with the stuff.

Oof Jon is being framed for another murder.

That is actually so much information to process all at once. Yay we finally meet Leitner, boo for Elias beating him to death. At least he was able to open Pandora's box of entities for Jon. Who is now going to either be on the run from the cops or in a padded room. 

After last season's finale basically being an accidental discovery. It’s so nice to see Jon be completely fooled into doing exactly what the Not-Them wanted him to do. Also, on the topic of the Not-Them. Who gave it the right to be so good at taunting? Because that shit was top tier. The amount of dread it created within me because I just know it’s going to be a part of the breakdown that Jon is going to have. 

This is a fantastic season finale but it’s also giving “to be continued”. Like what do you mean we get to meet Jurgen Leitner who opens a massive can of worms for Jon. Causes Jon to go back to smoking (which I hate but it also makes total sense). We find out that basically every statement is just a small group of bored entities being weirdos. And they all want Leitner dead and I’m assuming will soon want Jon dead.

I’m going to guess this once and probably forget about it. Whatever is going on with Elias is either he used one of the books, or was given powers by one of the entities. Because what do you mean Master??? Obviously he’s in charge of the institute but if the institute is a “living” thing then would it be an extension of Elias? There’s too many ways I could theorize that. Much simpler to say that he’s the bitch of an entity.

I’m so surprised that Tim and Martin seemingly made it out of the distortion without turning out like Helen. I like to think it’s because they were together and thus had something to ground themselves. However, they immediately find Leitner’s dead body with no Jon in sight will definitely lead to Tim doubling down on the Jon hate train and poor Martin is going to be so conflicted. 

Okay this has gotten to a point where I am just summarizing but like how else am I supposed to digest all of the bombs that were just dropped.

[hellostarposts]

Episode 79 - Hide and Seek

Most lethal game of hide and seek is about to commence.

MARTIN???????

Ah, Tim was suspicious.

No regard for Martin’s poetry.

“One too many at the christmas party and started ranting about the greeks” why is that so funny.

Oof Elias caught a massive stray.

DEMON NOISES

Now they also know that its Not-Sasha.

You can’t avoid the trauma tunnels Tim.

Micheal is staying consistent with being a shit disturber.

Maybe if you kept quiet like you said you were it wouldn’t have found you so quickly.

Why is Tim being such a prick?

Martin breakdown is valid.

NOOOO Michael.

Ah now I see what Micheal’s angle is.

Update: I still hate the static.

Why would you go into the strange door, dumbasses.

Jon did you not have an axe?

Comfort pipe.

That’s some good taunting by the Not-Them.

IDIOT FELL FOR IT.

Ah Tim and Martin are in the not fun house mirror corridor.

Oh wow the entity is so salty.

So the thing is smart. I don’t like that.

More breakdowns are coming from Jon. He’s going to fly off the cliff.

WHO IS THAT????

But yay he saved Jon?

[hellostarposts]

Episode 78 - Distant Cousin

Lawrence Moore

Not-Cousin unlocked

Oh is that a pending mental breakdown I hear. 

Is it Carl or Kyle? I’m judging the entity for becoming a Kyle. 

I think it’s Carl. 

I’m starting to believe that the way the person who isn’t fooled is “selected” is that it’s someone who is semi important but not around enough for the entity to catch them

It’s likely that that’s not how it works but that’s kind of a common factor. 

The thinking that they’re having a nervous breakdown is also a common factor. 

So what is it about Polaroids and magnetic tape that is safe?

What even is the point of this entity? Like what does it get from doing this?

Jehovah witness mention

Short black man with short gray hair. 

Is this a young Jon? 

Nope Adelard Dekker

An “exorcist”

Large wooden box has a hinged lid. 

Ah so I’m right. The Not-Them kills the person it replaces. 

Is this the coffin from do not open?

That’s the only other box that I can think of. 

Dekker hog ties the entity in my mind. 

There’s the weird scream again. 

ITS THE TABLE

long thin stick like limb. Too many joint

Ah so the spiders are the same thing?

You know what. Lawrence has a good survival instinct.

The cockney guys are back!

Lying to the cops. 

There’s that mental breakdown I heard at the start. 

Supplemental

Why did Jon think that sending Tim and Martin home saying that he’s sick would work. 

Tim is still so mad at Jon. I love the petty queen. 

I saw in the comments about the “it is incredibly easy to buy an axe in central London” NO ONE SAID THAT ITS BEING WHISPERED WHILE HES SNEAKING IN THE TUNNELS

Time to hack and slash

It’s the artifact room not the tunnels

Okay Jon you are being incredibly loud. 

Fucking Micheal is back. 

So the table was holding it back?

Did Micheal just drag Jon into one of his doors?

AHHHHHHHHHH why would I listen to this before I have to go to work. This leaves me with so many questions and I can’t keep listening. I basically put all my thoughts into the notes. So all I’ll say is that I think Jon would benefit from a rage room.

[hellostarposts]

Episode 77 - The Kind Mother

(may 10th, 7:51am) not at this one yet but it's kinda giving coraline

Gertrude!!

Lucy Cooper

Ah this is the same thing that replaced Sasha.

Her mother sounds soooo lovely (read this with as much sarcasm as you can muster)

Poor Dad, that is such a terrible accident.

Oh the mother was an academic. That explains so much.

“She’s not nearly mean enough to be MY MOM”

So how does this entity have the power to change all the pictures?

I don’t think that this thing feeds on fear because why would Not-Sasha be fine for this long?

Unique scream is the only thing that someone else can notice.

St Peters Church

The realisation that she actually misses her mother is so sad.

The dad dying from carbon monoxide is so sad. She lost both parents so fast.

This entity is called Not-Them. How was I so accurate in my naming of Not-Sasha.

No known motive

The Stranger?????

It always misses a few.

Magnetic tape and (possibly) polaroids are safe from the entity.

So it’s safe to assume that the Not-Them would go after proof of it’s replacement.

FINALLY HE GETS IT

New obsession and realisation unlocked.

Adaladr whatever that guy’s name is. 

I wasn’t expecting the big reveal to be dealing with whatever Not-Sasha is. I honestly thought “the kind mother” was referring to spider lady, who is technically a mother. The realization of just how stupid he has been made to look is so good. And the whole “I was an idiot for not connecting the dots”. CHEFS KISS. I’m going to start the next episode before work but not sure how far I’ll get but now I need the conflict.

[hellostarposts]

Episode 76 - The Smell of Blood

MELANIE

War ghosts???? I’m so in!

Is Melanie going to accidentally become a professional about ghosts for the institute? That would actually be so funny and drive Jon absolutely up the wall.

Ah Sarah Baldwin has disappeared.

YOU WENT BACK

More trespassing

I am not surprised by there being no genuine hauntings.

So Sarah Baldwin was like an amplifier for the spirits.

The social rules about the paranormal investigators is odd. Makes them all sound like fakes.

New job posting at the Institute: Professional trespasser.

CF Booth scrap yard

Train Graveyard.

Old train car that never gets scrapped? Is this the one that squishes people?

Dead bodies in the train

I was just joking about the professional trespasser.

Following the smell of blood is a terrible idea normally. But she’s a pro.

I hate how it’s in pristine condition

Serial numbers are good.

Is it fresh blood?

Hospital gurneys are not good.

Ah a silent hill body bag creature!

Who’s the stabber? A medic.

A scalpel sounds like a terrible stabbing tool.

At least you got a cool scar out of it.

WW2 military train car.

William W. Hay (was military, later an occultist.)

Had lots of heavily censored writings but the Institute has all the non censored versions.

He wrote the most detailed account of the crash.

They purposely crashed the train?

Jon is finally done drinking dumb bitch juice when it comes to Not-Sasha

So when does Melanie get a job at the institute? Because she’s got some skills with research even if it’s a subject that’s somewhat frowned upon by the institute. She’s got many permanent brain cells. Which the archives team desperately needs. If we start having to deal with a bloodthirst disease I might actually lose my mind. Because that’s what the description presented by William sounded like to me. Instead of theorizing too much I’m just going to push on to get more answers.

[hellostarposts]

Episode 75 - A Long Way Down

Stephen Walker

Man with a lightning scar. We call him Mike right?

Jim Hanock(?) stereotypical cockney you say?

Ah he’s a builder not a delivery guy.

What kind of person leaves not just their keys inside but also their phone.

Mike standing there ominously feels out of character. Maybe something changed after he jumped out of a window.

Also, the supposedly shitty brother facing his fear of heights to get Stephen Help is pretty sweet.

Ah money does tear families apart.

Grant doesn’t get social cues.

I was going to say “who smokes weed at work” but I know way too many people who do exactly that.

So freaking him out was punishment for losing his job.

So Mike is able to cause people to relive their worse injury? 

This is after Mike jumped out a window right? Because he’s acting like a weirdo and very much not human.

I honestly don’t understand why Mike wanted Grant.

Grant still being able to text and call Stephen is like an insult to injury.

The power of the books are using the readers as vessels (or maybe conduits)

BASIRA

She heisted the Gertrude tapes because she’s pissed that the police foundation is covering up the Reiner Raid.

Okay, Basira is dropping in rank of the shit list. Hell yeah no more loyalty to the cops.

So I assume that the next few episodes are going to be Gertrude tapes.

Basira stealing the tapes instantly made me like her more but also she should know how they do things. Now I guess we will learn more about what Gertrude was up to before being murdered. Additionally, what they hell is up with Mike.

[hellostarposts]

Episode 74 - Fatigue

Lydia Halligan

Standard insomnia description so far.

A coffee ad right beside an insomniacs window is like a giant fuck you from the capitalism overloards.

Hey that man has a name! It's Micheal!

His laugh causes nosebleeds. Good to know.

A TOOTH IN THE COFFEE IS A NEW FEAR

Those are called hallucinations sweetie.

Wow she's an easy target for Micheal. She’s making herself delusional and he’s just waiting.

Confirmed that it's Micheal, spirals and sharp fingers.

So is Micheal what’s actually causing the insomnia?

I’m starting to think that he just made her insomnia worse.

Supplemental.

Tunnel creature!!

FINALLY He’s onto Not-Sasha

The camera is like the smartest thing jon has done about the tunnels.

So we’ve got a tunnel guy coming into the archives and taking files. But we aren’t concerned about that?

Not much about Micheal that’s new. But slightly more about the tunnels and Not-Sasha. I’ve got nothing. Unless I want to throw out that the tunnel guy is Gerard, continuing to be a freak.

[hellostarposts]

Episode 73 - Police Lights

The description gives nothing this time.

How did the little bit that Jon told Basira help in any way?

I didn’t catch the name of the kid.

Calum Brodie, that's the name.

Wow she actually took the advice about extra lights.

Figure is that girl who fed her roommate something and unscrewed the lightbulbs.

How can there be that many sectioned officers?

Is it chanting?

Shadows have fluid physics.

Girl you fucking blinded them.

Ah she’s discovered that pitch black pocket dimension.

When does the chanting start?

Tall old man.

You don’t need eyesight when you live in the darkness.

The transfer of the smoke stuff? Disgusting.

Damn they might’ve made a dent in the cult.

This was Basira’s final straw?

Haha joke on you Basira. Jon can’t quit.

Outer bay shipping.

Jon is aware of his plot armour

That felt like it was anticlimactic but it definitely explains more of how the shadow stuff works. So it seemed to be proximity related with Maxwell Reiner, at least the part that would consume light and I assume electricity for lights. I didn't expect the smoke coming out of his mouth and going towards the boy. I guess that’s part of the initiation process for the peoples church of the divine host. Is it a hive mind? It feels kind of hive mind-y. Also, someone else is just going to take Maxwell’s spot as the spewer. Smoke/goop is sentient.