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Post by Oneiros on May 4, 2017 6:43:44 GMT
Today's statement ventures below London and into the dark again for an almost classic horror story with a genuine reason to be afraid of the dark and what might lurk in the shadows. Phantoms seem to abound in places where Robert Smirke's influence has been - is he some kind of supernatural lynchpin or touchstone, mayhaps? And what of the figures in the darkness? We've had a few darkness-related incidents so far; is there enough red string link them together? And we see the return of Melanie King (from File #28: Skintight), still deliciously acerbic and conflicted to have to come calling on the Institute. Just what does she need to use the Library for? As the questions continue to grow, I wonder where the Archivist will find his guiding light...
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Post by brittlegill on May 4, 2017 8:14:12 GMT
Whoop! Lydia!
Another great episode. Someone who notices Not-Sasha? More hints of Jonathan's back story? Delightfully gruesome fate and creepy helpful people. Another episode with a verisimilitude that makes this podcast my absolute favourite.
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Post by cannonlongshot on May 4, 2017 9:42:06 GMT
Nicely spooky tale, and nice to see one that asks questions rather than answers them again! I was worried that statements from now on would just be adding context to threats we already know exist.
Apart from being excited that Melanie might be able to notice Not-Sasha, I'm not sure anything will come of it soon - narratively there's too much tension that can be leveraged by keeping it as a misunderstanding!
However, it's weird to see that we now have two people who have noticed the Not-People... What links Amy Patel and Melanie King? In fact, it doesn't even need to be a link as much as a common feature. Previous contact with the paranormal (Melanie King is obvious, and Amy Patel was knocked to the ground by whatever was pursuing Graham)?
Perhaps a satirisation of the stereotype that men are inattentive of little details around them. All the best social commentary comes from horror podcasts!
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Samwise
Member of the Order of the Quill
Posts: 156
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Post by Samwise on May 4, 2017 14:29:02 GMT
However, it's weird to see that we now have two people who have noticed the Not-People... What links Amy Patel and Melanie King? In fact, it doesn't even need to be a link as much as a common feature. Previous contact with the paranormal (Melanie King is obvious, and Amy Patel was knocked to the ground by whatever was pursuing Graham)? I used to think it was being hit on the head caused them to see it. As you mentioned Amy Patel fell over and hit her head pretty hard. Another was Ivo Lensik (Mag 8) he slipped on a wet patch and had to go to hospital (although he already had a history of schizophrenia and had been seeing things before falling). but his farther spoke about fractals which I think might be connected to the patterned table.
Perhaps you're right about it just being the type of person these women are. Amy was a people watcher, and Melanie King's profession was to search and spot for paranormal beings, both would make you more tuned to spotting something out of the ordinary.
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Post by cannonlongshot on May 4, 2017 15:08:07 GMT
However, it's weird to see that we now have two people who have noticed the Not-People... What links Amy Patel and Melanie King? In fact, it doesn't even need to be a link as much as a common feature. Previous contact with the paranormal (Melanie King is obvious, and Amy Patel was knocked to the ground by whatever was pursuing Graham)? I used to think it was being hit on the head caused them to see it. As you mentioned Amy Patel fell over and hit her head pretty hard. Another was Ivo Lensik (Mag 8) he slipped on a wet patch and had to go to hospital (although he already had a history of schizophrenia and had been seeing things before falling). but his farther spoke about fractals which I think might be connected to the patterned table.
Perhaps you're right about it just being the type of person these women are. Amy was a people watcher, and Melanie King's profession was to search and spot for paranormal beings, both would make you more tuned to spotting something out of the ordinary.
Really doesn't inspire confidence in the Archivist, does it?
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Post by spooniermist on May 4, 2017 16:23:09 GMT
Did anyone else feel like Melanie's part was a bit odd? Seemed like it didn't really advance anything. I personally thought she was referring to someone that wasn't Not-Sasha (so... Sasha? Too many double negatives!), but some new receptionist. If that's the case, that Supplemental seems a bit pointless. There must be more to it. WE MUST GO DEEPER!
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kea
Member of the Order of the Quill
Posts: 136
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Post by kea on May 4, 2017 22:24:57 GMT
I used to think it was being hit on the head caused them to see it. As you mentioned Amy Patel fell over and hit her head pretty hard. Another was Ivo Lensik (Mag 8) he slipped on a wet patch and had to go to hospital (although he already had a history of schizophrenia and had been seeing things before falling). but his farther spoke about fractals which I think might be connected to the patterned table.
Perhaps you're right about it just being the type of person these women are. Amy was a people watcher, and Melanie King's profession was to search and spot for paranormal beings, both would make you more tuned to spotting something out of the ordinary.
Really doesn't inspire confidence in the Archivist, does it?
I'm reminded of what Trevor said about "hunters being able to recognise each other". I wouldn't go so far as to say that Amy or Ivo were hunters exactly, but they had it in their personalities to look at things that seemed out of place: Amy had spent a lot of time observing Graham, and Ivo maintains a constant watch for things that seem out of place because of his worry about inheriting his father's schizophrenia. You could include Gerard Kaey in that group, since he noticed the danger that Andrea Nunis was in in MA:48.
It leads me to wonder about other people in the podcast who've seen things that others don't: Lesere Saraki and Yuri Utkin come to mind, although they are not "observers" in the sense that it's inherently part of their personalities. (Although Lesere is a nurse, although that doesn't explain why none of the others cottoned on - perhaps because she'd been most involved in the care of the two patients?)
The Archivist's job isn't really to watch, is it? He deals with the statements after the fact, and the only time he actively encounters the supernatural is when it invades the archives, such as Michael, Jane and presumably, Not-Sasha.
Also, echoed on the "yay, Lydia!"
I'm hoping she turns up more.
Also reminded of the MI's motto: "Listening. Watching. Waiting."
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aslee
Travelling Wordsmith
Certified Zolf/Hamid shipper.
Posts: 28
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Post by aslee on May 5, 2017 0:29:15 GMT
I know there's probably a reason Melanie saw Not-Sasha as a separate entity than Sasha, but I'm content with accepting it as a RQG joke until we get answers.
Gosh, I love Melanie. I haven't thought about the Shadows at all until now because I've been thinking about how much I love Melanie, instead.
It was nice to know the statement-giver is married to a women. I was all, "Awwww, I can have horrific paranormal adventures and break my worried wife's heart, too!" Horror tropes, kids: They're no longer just for straight men.
I would volunteer to be Melanie's worried wife.
I hope all of this means that Melanie comes back and does another statement when she's done with her research and not that she horribly dies as a Clue.
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Post by Henry on May 8, 2017 23:14:09 GMT
Chuffin' Norah...
Between this and the trailers for Alien, this ain't helping me nod off like it used to. Yikes.
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Post by passivevolcano on May 12, 2017 0:40:27 GMT
Really pleased by the return of Melanie King! She's the extraverted, pop-culture counterpoint to the Archivist's introverted, academic type. I feel that two committed paranormal investigators running on the power of aggravation and sarcasm could probably take over the world together.
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Post by apofisu on Feb 3, 2019 15:36:48 GMT
I know this is an old thread, but I just finished this episode and I'm surprised there's no mention in this thread of a connection to MAG 15, Lost John's Cave.
Exploring underground tunnels and being attacked when their lights went out reminded me immediately of the story of the Johns' candles going out and Laura's light going when she got trapped. There's also the fact that both Erin Laura's accounts indicate they'd traveled great distances from where they entered, yet were apparently close enough to the entrances for people from outside to hear their screams and quickly lead them out.
The church's claims that it never happened also brings to mind how Laura claimed to have informed the CNCC of their trip, but CNCC chains not to have known about it in advance.
I wonder if Erin's camera were to be recovered, would her pictures contradict her story the same way Laura's video contradicted hers.
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