zero space times, styled like a ransom note made out of cutout letters. it's green tinted and has a lot of eyes surrounding it. there are also some spiders.

thoughts and things written into the void

2025 -
ongoing

front page | middle part | colophon

here is a selection of episodes from the podcast "the magnus archives"! i am a big fan, so i made a playlist for a friend with some episodes i thought they might like and wanted to share it here too, with some commentary / reasoning / additional thoughts.

(looking over this, it seems i mostly chose either especially surreal or war-related statements.)

the descriptions are from [rusty quill's website] and the content notes are pulled together from [the magnus archives fandom wiki] and [the magnus archives transcript archive (extremely unofficial)] in an effort to be as thorough as possible. some will probably be double and/or unnecessary.

work in progress.

a line of dark green simplistic eyes

MAG 30 - killing floor

"#0130111 - Statement of David Laylow, regarding his time working at an industrial abattoir near Dalston."

[content notes]
depersonalization, meat, animal death (cow, sheep, pig), referenced animal abuse, self-harm, physical violence, gore, surreal, people being slaughtered like animals, slaughterhouse, unsanitary

why i chose this episode: it's very effective in conveying the (real) horror of mass meat production and processing and (in my opinion) a great example of how horror can be used to communicate social/cultural/etc. issues in a very authentic and emotional way. also if i wasn't already vegetarian, i think this would be a motivation to start.

you can listen to the episode on [youtube] or [rusty quill's website]. alternatively/additionally you can read the [transcript].

fitting book recommendation: "tender is the flesh" by agustina bazterrica.

MAG 32 - hive

"#0142302 - Statement of Jane Prentiss, regarding a wasps' nest in her attic."

[content notes]
insects (ants, hornets), infestations, worms, spiders, mild gore, body horror, unreality, trypophobia, dermatillomania, altered mental state, mental instability, fatphobia, parasites

why i chose this episode: i love the prose and style in this one. "stream of consciousness"-like writings always intrigue me and they can be really fun to read/listen to, especially if the narrator is unreliable.

you can listen to the episode on [youtube] or [rusty quill's website]. alternatively/additionally you can read the [transcript].

this episode was also influencial on my [worm text], even if it wasn't my intention. dermatillomania just lends itself to worms.

fitting book recommendation(s): "supplication" by nour abi-nakhoul and "brainwyrms" by alison rumfitt.

MAG 65 - binary

"#0170701 - Statement of Tessa Winters, regarding a strange computer program she downloaded from the deep web three months ago. Statement recorded direct from subject, 7th January 2017."

[content notes]
unreality, compulsion, transhumanism, self-harm, mutilation, body horror, eating nonfood items, existential horror, cancer mention, mouth harm, technology acting unexpectedly, compulsive self-mutilation, existential horror, supernatural technology

why i chose this episode: i think this is one of the most well-liked episodes, for good reasons. it's very unique in it's style and content (i think it's the only technology-centered episode in the series?) and just really really good. definitely one of the more insidious and unsettling ones. also, i like the statement giver and her opening remarks / infodump - "nothing about humanity is binary" is an objectively great line. some of the quotes / descriptions in this are fantastic:

[spoiler]
  • "it feels like thinking through cheese wire"
  • "there’s no feeling, but the no feeling hurts"
  • "it’s cold without blood"
  • "the maze is sharp on my mind"
  • "the angles cut me when I try to think"

you can listen to the episode on [youtube] or [rusty quill's website]. alternatively/additionally you can read the [transcript].

MAG 74 - fatigue

"#0150806 - Statement of Lydia Halligan regarding her insomnia. Original statement given 8th June 2015."

[content notes]
unreality, psychosis, gaslighting, isolation, surreal, teeth, slowly worsening mental state, sleep disorder, blood (nosebleed), mention of nausea

why i chose this episode: this is probably the best description of insomnia that i've come across and one of the most relatable statements for me personally - it's just very spot on (minus the supernatural elements of course). i really enjoy the writing style as well.

you can listen to the episode on [youtube] or [rusty quill's website]. alternatively/additionally you can read the [transcript].

MAG 85 - upon the stair

"#376-U - Statement of an unknown figure, regarding an encounter they may or may not have had in their home. Date of original statement unclear."

[content notes]
parent death, unreality, depersonalization, compulsion, compulsion to harm loved ones, body horror, being trapped

why i chose this episode: another surreal one. i love how the absence is described and the vagueness, that still manages to be very invocative.

you can listen to the episode on [youtube] or [rusty quill's website]. alternatively/additionally you can read the [transcript].

MAG 95 - absent without leave

"#9770211 - Martin Blackwood, Archival Assistant at the Magnus Institute, recording statement number 9770211, statement of Luca Moretti, given November 2nd, 1977."

[content notes]
death, body horror, gun violence, physical violence, war (discussion of WW2, fascism, nazis), mention of cannibalism, suicide, animal death (rats)

why i chose this episode:

you can listen to the episode on [youtube] or [rusty quill's website]. alternatively/additionally you can read the [transcript].

MAG 105 - total war

"#D-1862-143 - Statement of Second Lieutenant Charles Fleming, regarding his experiences during the Taiping Rebellion. Original statement undated, but apparently written in early 1862."

[content notes]
warfare, drowning, cannibalism, undead, drug use, mass suicide

why i chose this episode:

you can listen to the episode on [youtube] or [rusty quill's website]. alternatively/additionally you can read the [transcript].

MAG 125 - civilian casualties

"#9931907 - Statement of Sergeant Terrance Simpson, regarding an outbreak of violence in the crofting community of Lanncraig, Ross-shire. Original statement given 19th July 1993."

[content notes]
graphic violence, trauma, suicide, mass hysteria, self harm, dismemberment, direct violence, amateur / home surgery, non-consensual medicine, body horror, blood, being chased, death, mutilation, police, injections, finger trauma, non-consentual drugging, screaming/yelling [22:53]

why i chose this episode:

you can listen to the episode on [youtube] or [rusty quill's website]. alternatively/additionally you can read the [transcript].

MAG 134 - time of revelation

"#0060122 - Statement of Adelard Dekker, taken from a letter to Gertrude Robinson daten 22nd January 2006."

[content notes]
human extinction, death and corpses, environmental disaster, existentialism, emotional manipulation, spatial disorientation

why i chose this episode:

you can listen to the episode on [youtube] or [rusty quill's website]. alternatively/additionally you can read the [transcript].

MAG 136 - the puppeteer

"#0120112 - Statement of Alison Killala, regarding her time as friend and carer to special effects artist Neil Lagorio. Original statement given 1st December 2012. Audio recording by Jonathan Sims, the Archivist."

[content notes]
degenerative illness, puppets, (supernatural) manipulation, mental illness, body horror, smoking, suicidal ideation

why i chose this episode:

you can listen to the episode on [youtube] or [rusty quill's website]. alternatively/additionally you can read the [transcript].

MAG 153 - love bombing

"#0120204 - Statement of Barbara Mullen-Jones regarding her nine months spent with The Divine Chain cult. Original Statement given 2nd April 2012. Audio recording by Jonathan Sims, the Archivist."

[content notes]
cults, cult activity, brainwashing, love-bombing, (emotional) manipulation, body horror, animal harm, physical violence, starvation, unsanitary

why i chose this episode:

you can listen to the episode on [youtube] or [rusty quill's website]. alternatively/additionally you can read the [transcript].

MAG 155 - cost of living

"#0020312 - Statement of Tova McHugh regarding their string of near-death experiences. Original statement given December 3rd 2002. Audio recording by Jonathan Sims, the Archivist."

[content notes]
self-harm, infanticide, murder, near-death experience, eye gouging, seizure disorder, eugenicist rhetoric, ableism, blindness

why i chose this episode:

you can listen to the episode on [youtube] or [rusty quill's website]. alternatively/additionally you can read the [transcript].

MAG 163 - in the trenches

"#########-3 - Statements on war. Audio recording by the Archivist, in situ."

[content notes]
warfare, gunfire, explosions, loud noises, xenophobia (including antisemitic caricatures), medical trauma, graphic body horror (including trauma to eyes, tooth trauma), chemical warfare, medical malpractice, unreality, claustrophobia in a crowd, mention of needles, death by moving vehicle, being trapped, unsanitary, hunger/starvation, minor emetophobia, burning, cannibalism, jumpscare [04:07 on spotify]

why i chose this episode:

you can listen to the episode on [youtube] or [rusty quill's website]. alternatively/additionally you can read the [transcript].

MAG 165 - revolutions

"########-5 - Ruminations on identity and the lack thereof. Audio recording by the Archivist, in situ."

[content notes]
loud/discordant SFX (circus music, quiet screams throughout, growling, audio distortion, glitching sounds, loud static squealing towards the end), mass pain, character death, major body horror, impostors, dissociation, skinning, hunting/being hunted, unreality, spatial distortion, use of the second person voice, emetophobia (minor), entrapment, minor animal harm, comparison of a person to food

why i chose this episode:

you can listen to the episode on [youtube] or [rusty quill's website]. alternatively/additionally you can read the [transcript].

MAG 166 - the worms

"########-5 - Lamentation of those left below. Audio recording by the Archivist, in situ."

[content notes]
survivor's guilt, body horror, screams, claustrophobia, reported violence, dehumanisation, anxiety, suffocation, worms (inc SFX), explicit language, burial, entrapment, depression, self-blame, murder, death, scopophobia (discussed), revenge, determinism, insomnia, hunger, time distortion, themes of oppression, distorted audio, self-doubt, cannibalism, money, poverty

why i chose this episode:

you can listen to the episode on [youtube] or [rusty quill's website]. alternatively/additionally you can read the [transcript].

MAG 172 - strung out

"########-12 - The Tragedy of Francis, a comic puppet show in all acts. Recorded by The Archivist, in Situ."

[content notes]
transphobia, emotional manipulation and abuse (including familial), body horror and wounding, supernatural manipulation, explicit language, addiction (including smoking and drinking), substance abuse (including syringes and implied opiate abuse), spiders (inc SFX), implied queerphobia, humiliation, schadenfreude and forced laughter, maladaptive coping mechanisms and relapse, abuse of non-binary person, inability to speak, victim blaming, regret, loss of control of one's body, mass suffering, doubt of one's autonomy, paranoia

why i chose this episode:

you can listen to the episode on [youtube] or [rusty quill's website]. alternatively/additionally you can read the [transcript].

MAG 177 - wonderland

"########-17 - An examination of mental health care. Audio recorded by the Archivist, in situ."

[content notes]
arguments, relationship conflict, second-person point-of-view statement, hospitals/mental institutions, mental illness, gaslighting, mental health abuse, medical/therapeutic malpractice, victim blaming, diminution/belittling language, name invalidation, involuntary commitment, medication (including involuntary medication), suicidal ideation (implied), psychosis/unreality, paranoia, explicit language, threats, body horror, avoidance of facts, (SFX: screaming, high pitched tones, discordant music, medication (sounds of taking pills), violence), face mutilation, peeling of skin. Mentions of: death, police brutality, gore

why i chose this episode:

you can listen to the episode on [youtube] or [rusty quill's website]. alternatively/additionally you can read the [transcript].

MAG 185 - locked in

"########-25 - An examination on the nature of Justice. Recorded by the Archivist in situ."

[content notes]
prison (inc SFX), dehumanisation, wrongful imprisonment and victimisation, police brutality, uncertain memory and distorted time, abuse of power, physical violence, bullying, isolation, pleading, explicit language

why i chose this episode:

you can listen to the episode on [youtube] or [rusty quill's website]. alternatively/additionally you can read the [transcript].

© vincent z.; style/design based on "noodle soup times" by eggramen