Home
Creators
Search Recent Random
Posts
Search DMs Popular Hash Lookup Tags Random
Importer
Import FAQ
Register Favorites Keys Review DMs Logout
Community
Telegram ThePornDude
Home Creators Posts Import Register Favorites Logout

MAG 198 - Precipice (Patreon)

Published:
2021-03-10 16:00:05
Edited:
2025-02-19 15:05:29
Imported:
2026-06
Tags:

Downloads

Content

Case ########-38

Navigating the descent, recorded in situ.

Content warnings:

Heights / Vertigo (inc SFX)

Falling

Panic (inc breathing SFX)

Injury / Pain (inc SFX)

Explicit language

Discussions of: emotional manipulation

Mentions of: arguments, death, self-hatred, lack of self-preservation, paranoia, pleading, kidnapping, alcohol

SFX: wind, creaking metal, screaming & suffering

Thanks to this week's Patrons: V Guest, Fiona Porter, Archimedes 871, Annabelle M, CJ, Cowboyhell, Timothy LaGrone, Jen Amico, Sean Hurley, monstrous venus, Madeleine Wenc, Hyst, Plim Flatterband, Daniel Prehm, Charlotte Farquhar, Catherine Cerny, emrys lee, iriki, Miles Frankel, deirdre, Lea F., Kat Lancaster, Eric Silva, Rebekah Paerels, Julian Sanchez, Leah Hunter, Kiri Baildon-Smith, Bonnie-Jo MacLeod, Noa Jamie Remus, Emilie Clifford, Ruby Mitchell, Carol McPherson, Jules Schaefer, Bradlee Allen, Azra, Jasper Vega, Audrey Salo, Nora, Sara Clark, Georgia Wilson, Clowder of One, Abby G, Elliot G Grace, ZeekiZeii, Harley Powell, Alandrea, Rowan Krieghbaum, ty, Colleen Moore.

Edited this week by Annie Fitch, Elizabeth Moffatt, Brock Winstead, Jeffrey Nils Gardner & Alexander J Newall

Written by Jonathan Sims and directed by Alexander J Newall

Sensitivity consultation by Alexander Linde Nielsen

Produced by Lowri Ann Davies

Performances:

-  "The Archivist" - Jonathan Sims

- "Martin Blackwood" - Alexander J Newall

- "Basira Hussain" - Frank Voss

- "Melanie King" - Lydia Nicholas 

- "Georgie Barker" - Sasha Sienna

Sound effects this week by ABouch, AderuMoro, aglinder, AlanCat, alec_mackay, annstory4520, bbrocer, bulbastre, Cell31_Sound_Productions, conleec, corpocracy, CUeckermann, DANMITCH3LL, Darth_Biomech, dersuperanton, dheming, dilsun, Eelke, eitabyte, felix.blume, FocusBay, gfrog, Huggy13ear, IESP, InspectorJ, j1987, jorickhoofd, JustinBW, kyles, laurenmartin236, Microtubule, MTJohnson, PeteIsCool, rkeato, Sauron974, sforsman, SocializedArtist45, speedygonzo, SpliceSound, sturmankin, SunnySideSound, ThunderQuads, tosha73, Volonda, Drkvixn91, nicklas3799, bevangoldswain, MadamVicious, yeopot & previously credited artists via freesound.org.

Additional sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com.

Check out our merchandise available at https://www.redbubble.com/people/RustyQuill/shop & https://www.teepublic.com/stores/rusty-quill.

You can subscribe to this podcast using your podcast software of choice, or by visiting www.rustyquill.com/subscribe

Please rate and review on your software of choice, it really helps us to spread the podcast to new listeners, so share the fear.

Join our community:

WEBSITE: rustyquill.com

FACEBOOK: facebook.com/therustyquill

TWITTER: @therustyquill

REDDIT: reddit.com/r/RustyQuill

DISCORD: https://discord.gg/KckTv8y

EMAIL: mail@rustyquill.com

The Magnus Archives is a podcast distributed by Rusty Quill Ltd. and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Sharealike 4.0 International Licence

Files

Comments

FyreFlye23

Re-listening ahead of TMP, and while I understand the discourse around Martin being a little...over stimulated this season, I don't blame him. I get being selfish. I would sacrifice whole worlds for the person I loved, especially if that was the only person I'd ever really had. I'd do anything to keep them safe, damn the consequences. I feel you, Martin.

Rurrie

This episode is one of the ones that sticks out in my memory the most. Just something about throwing yourself off a massive cliff because technically you won't die, even though splatting at the bottom will still hurt a lot....

Eli Labat-Angstadt

It all comes down to this... gosh, I’m nervous! Thanks, RQ!

ThirdFromTheLeft

everyone was a lot chiller and more upbeat than I expected. they treat wandering thru the apocalypse and maybe being about to die like a day at the beach. and I cannot believe nobody cared about the cult dying lol. it was basically just 'oh well. anyway moving on.'

Sam Symonds

Open communication?? In MY podcast? It's more likely than you think.

Emma Legowski

Just a heads up, it says Sasha Sienna as Annabelle Cane at the very bottom of the transcript

Rye

you can either have a massive breakdown or you develop a very weird sense of humor..

Heather MacKenzie

I love Basira as the voice of reason between snarky Archivist and snarky Martin. Not gonna lie, I was waiting for Simon to show up. Does anyone remember the children's Sesame Street book "There's a Monster at the End of this Book"? this is starting to feel like that. I know there's a monster at the end of this story and I'm scared to see it.

ag

well, I could use a drink too :))

macabre daydreams

i hate the vast and everything that relates to it, but i loved a chiller episode. also i have never related to martin more than right now.

Tatianna A

Amazing soundscape and excellent episode! It's all about the choices, I suppose... :)

Gwen Jeronimo

Love the rhythm of the statement, poem statements are always a nice surprise

Fenn Moon

I'm with Martin here. Dang.

Michael Larsen

Is anyone else finding Martin to be a lot less likable lately? I’m caught up in the fact that he went with the spider because he was angry (and, reading between the lines, wanted to make jon feel a little of what Martin was already feeling: out of control) and he takes for granted that Jon would come save him. He’s becoming selfish: he refuses to consider that the spider might be lying, because he doesn’t want to face the possibility that there is no good answer. And I’m starting to feel like he doesn’t want to lose Jon, not because of what will happen to Jon, but because of where that will leave Martin.

ThirdFromTheLeft

Yeah! It's a huge contrast from his selflessness and intelligence and complexity in earlier seasons. Also he said he worried she could kill Jon but then said he knew Jon would save him??? she still had the camera. and he took the choice away from Jon and felt totally entitled to have Jon come help. no matter the risk to him. wtf. also she could easily have killed him. it makes no sense.

jelmarose

Martin deserves to be selfish though, he and Jon made a promise to each other that they will find a way to turn the apocalypse back, and sacrificing Jon is their last resort. Jon has his life constantly threatened by others, and now they're in a place where the Archivist has the upper hand, Martin will take advantage of that to prevent others from hurting Jon anymore. Everyone else has been selfish for the past seasons, abusing the fact that Jon wholeheartedly blames himself for putting everyone in danger even though he was manipulated into it. I don't think he took for granted that Jon would come to save him, to me it sounded more like a diversion tactic: if Jon is coming for him, then he's not going to the Panopticon to replace Jonah. It's his way of buying time so they can think of a better strategy. I understand that Martin is being bratty this season but it's understandable that he wants to keep his boyfriend safe.

Michael Larsen

Jelmarose, did you listen to today’s episode? He literally said that he took it for granted that Jon would save him.

jelmarose

I reread the transcripts and I admit I'm wrong. But I still stand on my point that Martin is justified to be selfish over not losing Jon.

Nicole

Martin, my love. Martin King Blackwood

b987

MARTIN COMEDY KING BLACKWOOD FUNNIEST PERSON IN THE UNIVERSE

Gilligan Mungus

I LOVED that book. And I don’t think the monster at the end of this podcast is going to cute and snuggly like Grover.

Anastasia

“Nobody cared about the cult dying” I read that scene totally differently? The language (and acting), to me, very much conveyed “this is awful and we feel awful but we are not in a place (emotionally or practically) to process this grief or indeed any of our previous grief. Therefore we are repressing & focusing on what to do next.”

Broth Mirepoix

Also, why was Martin's first thought that Annabelle showed up to kill Jon? Like, he seemed fine at Upton House while she skulked about? Or at least, it didn't seem like he was constantly worried about an assassination while they stayed there.

gojo fujoshi

To be brutally honest, this episode felt a bit odd. I do get that last week's was quite intense and some cooldown time might have been needed, but this close to the end having an episode where nothing really happened felt... a little frustrating, maybe? I don't know, maybe there's something important there that I missed, but when it ended I admit my first thought was 'That's it?'. I also wish the loss of the cult had had a little bit more weight and attention- it felt a bit jarring to see it so quickly brushed over. Still, the voice acting was really good, the banter was really fun, and it's lovely to have the gang back together <3

Zorya Dolgushkin

While I admit that his choices are not the best I think given the circumstances of them being in the middle of a fear apocalypse that it does give explanation to his actions. It doesn't excuse them but they're all getting a bit desperate at this point and not thinking as rationally. I mean, I imagine myself being in this situation and would be totally terrified of losing the ones I love and of making the wrong choice when there could have been a better option. They've all been through a lot and Martin has basically been Jon's emotional support throughout this whole season, that's a lot to take on. I think his reactions to everything are quite realistic to be honest. Also, Martin loves Jon. It's not all about him being left alone. He's scared of Jon becoming the Pupil of the Eye and losing all his humanity and that the person that he loves will be gone forever. As far as Upton House Martin was very much on edge about Annabelle the whole time and then actually confronts her at the end of the episode. Yes, he shouldn't have taken it for granted that Jon would come and save him but he was also caught in a hard place of wanting to hear Annabelle out and her basically blackmailing him to get him to follow her alone. He was trying to think quick in the moment, trying to figure out if she was lying to him or not on the fly and so had to resort to relying on Jon coming to save him. Also he was fueled by emotion after his and Jon's fight, that is true. People can make weird or even bad decisions but it doesn't necessarily make them a bad person, it just makes them human. And that makes Martin to be a very interesting and complex character.

Michael Larsen

Zorya, this isn’t new for Martin: he did the same thing by joining the Lonely to try and save Jon. He’s being as manipulative in this situation as Annabelle was, and the STILL complains about Jon’s nature as The Archivist. It’s not a very good look on him, and I stand by my statement that it makes him a hell of a lot less likeable. Since when would Martin favor a choice that dooms entire universes, just so that their universe could be safe. Selfish and manipulative.

ontologicallyunjust

FWIW, I had the opposite reaction because the statement felt so resonant for where the characters are right now (and where the show itself is) -- it seems like there's only one possible path left that they've been funnelled onto, but is that really true and now the path's running out and the only thing left is the fall ... N.B. That's not to say that you "should" feel differently about it -- all reactions are valid -- just trying to explain what I got out of it and why it landed (no pun intended) for me.

ThirdFromTheLeft

yeah same Jessica. I guess it's just because 3 episodes from the end of season 4 was MAG158: Panopticon. And I was expecting a similar level of drama/tension and then this has a VERY different feel. But to each their own. It's not my jam personally but if others are enjoying it I guess it's ok. I guess I just personally prefer my horror with a little more horror and emotion tension.

bonecrusher

Y'all have such good comments and I'm just here to share that the soundtrack of this episode in my head was "It's Raining Men" and "Let the Bodies Hit the Floor"

Zorya Dolgushkin

Martin trying to save Jon and everyone else by joining the Lonely was not manipulation. He was doing what he thought would help the most in that situation, driven mostly out of grief. And that was a completely different situation partly because he didn't actually fully know how Jon felt about him at that point and therefore had no actual foresight into the fact that Jon would come into the Lonely to save him. He also didn't intend to go fully into the Lonely at all, Peter Lukas forced him to go in there. And I don't think he was leaning in favor of dooming the other universes in order to save their own, that's not what I gathered from listening. They're all at an impasse on what to do at this point, it's a difficult decision that they're having to make right now. Yes, Martin can be manipulative at times but I don't think that these are those times.

Rosemary

I kept thinking It's Raining Men lmao

James Rule

And to think I used to actually kind of like the Vast.

QuietNerdyThing

I only started TMA 2 weeks ago and now I'm here. I love and I am also very afraid.

Rene Casey

The voice acting and the sound design is SENDING ME. I love this podcast so freaken much

Alti

Soundscaping was legendary, I loved the humor, and while it's definitely a very different buildup compared to the other finales I think this fits, despite not knowing what path they'll take.

Alexandra DeCarlo

"You couldn't have made a statement Before we got on the ladder?" XD There was something really beautiful about this statement.

Jamie Hilts

I have to admit that I'm slightly disappointed that this didn't have more meat to it, but it's realistic that they would have to take time to get back to London and that they'd talk along the way. I genuinely couldn't imagine them just waiting to talk about why Martin went with Annabelle. That being said, the soundscape was incredible, the voice acting was superb, and I laughed in the weirdest, high-pitched squeak at two different things Martin said. So...I consider this a win. And the gang is back together. I just hope they make the right decision, although something tells me they won't...

Deneb

Martin and Basira's reactions are always so good. Melanie and Basira hugging :'C

Jess Nicolazzo

Character development... 198 episodes in and still beautiful juicy character development 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 great episode and a nice respite from last weeks. Drunk brainstorming next ep right?! 🤣

Sinclair Cross

I live for most of Alex's lines just being a really sarcastic, "MHMM."

GugTheGoose

Sasha's voice acting at the end was brilliant... I could *feel* the defeat and devastation... the audience is very much on the precipice with the characters right now. And I loved the statement. Thematic, but the poetry was beautiful. The metre and alliteration were almost hypnotic (much like actual vertigo).

Carolyn Tea

I think they very much cared, but are probably emotioned-out right now. Struck me as that blank feeling from loss before you come to terms with it. The bleak humour fitted really well.

Carolyn Tea

I hope they find something more palatable than "Ennui" cola!

Carolyn Tea

Lots of good discussion here already but, I think, it's easy to tip too far from selfless, need-to-please-everyone into taking it too far the other way and being a bit manipulative and selfish (if I'm being brutally honest I've been guilty of that to some extent, minus becoming an apocalyptic avatar and teaming up with scheming spiders)

Carolyn Tea

The statement REALLY hit me because I sometimes have terrifying dreams where all the directions and dimensions change. But I get your point about it not exactly feeling like a tension-building, near-finale episode. But maybe that augurs well/dreadfully for next week!

TakYelgif

I’ve been thinking after the past two episodes about Martin referring to himself as a “manipulative prick” in Quiet and how Annabelle thinking his being connected to the web because of his ability to manipulate people. I feel like there is more to that and we will see it play out...I just hope it doesn’t ruin Martin in the end.

Alex Chmaj

I recently discovered your show about a year ago and am now making my whole company listen to it! This last season has been an incredible ride and these last few episodes have been exceptional. I can't wait to hear how it all ends! Phenomenal work!

Dropping Needles Embroidery

Basira sounded like a parent on a road trip. "Couldn't you have gone to the bathroom (made a statement) before we left!"

StaceyJess

I just want Jon and Martin to be happy! I only started listening to this podcast last month and it has been wild. Can't believe I only have 2 episodes left.

Meredith

I saved the last three eps to listen to all in a row, and wow, I'm really glad we got a funny one before my heart got ripped out.

Northofantastic

I just adored the banter! And the jumps were so well done–I could feel them and almost had to brace for impact!