Make your statement, Face your fear

A collection of quotes of the podcast The Magnus Archives Written by Johnny Sims and produced by Rusty Quill Masterlist Season 1 Season 2 Season 3 Season 4

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He told me of a fire that burns so hot and fierce that to even know about it is enough to burn a man's tongue from his head.

Dr. Jonathan Fanshaw, November 21st 1831 The Magnus Archives - 127 Remains To Be Seen

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He told me of a man so scared to die he spent a year weaving a rope blindfolded, so he would not know the length, and could not foresee the moment it would tighten around his neck when he finally threw himself into the void.

Dr. Jonathan Fanshaw, November 21st 1831 The Magnus Archives - 127 Remains To Be Seen

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He told me of a seamstress, who laced her body with fine black thread, and when she pulled it all out in a single swift motion, her skin dropped away like a loose shift.

Dr. Jonathan Fanshaw, November 21st 1831 The Magnus Archives - 127 Remains To Be Seen

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Ashe said this, the structure beneath his face shifted, pushing it further and further from where his skull should have been. And behind his teeth at the edges of his eyes, I saw the dull red of shifting clay. His smile kept getting wider and bending in on itself at the edges, and where his fingers touched the back of my trembling hand, I could feel his spiraling fingerprints start to turn. Round and around.

Deborah Madaki, 11th October 2009 The Magnus Archives - 126 Scultper’s Tool

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Then my gaze focused back on the thing in his hands, that dead, curling lump of clay, and I watched it move. It coiled around, through its own face, and flailed its long, distorted fins in desperate pained movements. It made a noise that sounded like a scream heard through water and stretched out towards my mouth, which I'll admit was hanging open in horror. If I hadn't screamed and fallen backwards, I am sure the thing would have dived down my throat.

Deborah Madaki, 11th October 2009 The Magnus Archives - 126 Scultper’s Tool

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But over in the corner Gabriel just began grabbing and molding and... twisting into a shape that was... well it certainly wasn't a fish. It sort of- almost started out like a fish. But it just kept going and going, looping back and into itself, as if it was swimming through its own body.

Deborah Madaki, 11th October 2009 The Magnus Archives - 126 Scultper’s Tool

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I went back to the car to radio for help, but it- it didn't seem to be working right; all I could hear from it was the faint noise of static, and...what sounded like bagpipes.

Sergeant Terrence Simpson, Lancraig, Ross Shire, 19th July, 1993 The Magnus Archives - 125 Civilian Casualties

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Until you saw the blood staining their teeth and hands, or the ear still clenched in the younger man's smile, fresh torn from the other's head. They had each had their own throats cut, crudely, and plastered across their faces was a smile that seemed to occupy a frozen space halfway between ecstasy and an all consuming anger.

Sergeant Terrence Simpson, Lancraig, Ross Shire, 19th July, 1993 The Magnus Archives - 125 Civilian Casualties

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I can't exactly say what it was in his turn that so unsettled me. Maybe it was too violent, too smooth. It seemed like the pitchfork should have flown out of him, but it stayed wedged in place. Maybe it was something in his eyes, or that smile of his.

Sergeant Terrence Simpson, Lancraig, Ross Shire, 19th July, 1993 The Magnus Archives - 125 Civilian Casualties

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It was only when I was many years into my medical training that I finally accepted that scientifically such things were not possible. The mouth cannot function if it’s located anywhere other than the face. The limbs cannot bend like rubber. A man cannot walk and talk and stare without a head.

Yuri Utkin, Gertrude Robinson recording, 2nd of March 1979 The Magnus Archives - 044 Tightrope

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It moved its head, it was the strangest thing to watch. It seemed to shift its position slowly, like a doll having its joints twisted but its face remained completely still. The mouth stayed curled to reveal its teeth, the ears stayed alert and pointed forward and the eyes still stared out though, where they had at first seemed brilliant, they now had an almost glassy look to them. Without warning it roared the same powerful cry of violence that I had heard before. But as it did so I fell back in surprise. The tiger’s mouth had not moved.

Yuri Utkin, Gertrude Robinson recording, 2nd of March 1979 The Magnus Archives - 044 Tightrope

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The guy was moving, trying to gurgle something through what was left of his jaw. He was reaching for the gun, Daisy leapt for it but it was right next to him and she missed. The man who should have been a corpse already, raised the gun and pointed it into the mass of flesh that was his head. Daisy grabbed the gun before he could pull the trigger again and managed to wrestle the gun away from him. Then he, then he made a noise. Just a really horrible sound. I think he was trying to cry.

Basira Hussain, statement given directly, September 19th 2016 The Magnus Archives - 043 Section 31

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Then came three bangs. One after another on the roof of the car. Knock. Knock. Knock. Then a laugh. A terrible whistling sound like the howling of a gale.

Julian Jennings, 11th December 2012 The Magnus Archives - 124 Left Hanging

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But before he could pull back from the edge, an arm, long, grey and completely inhuman reached down from above with terrible speed. It grabbed his wrist, just for a moment. And then he was gone. His own scream vanishing into the abyss beyond the door.

Julian Jennings, 11th December 2012 The Magnus Archives - 124 Left Hanging

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The old man turned back for just a second, looked me in the eyes and gave me a huge, theatrical wink. Then he fell backwards, out of the car and was gone into the swirling air beyond.

Julian Jennings, 11th December 2012 The Magnus Archives - 124 Left Hanging

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As I was cuffing him, there was this sudden intense pain in my hand. It was just as I touched the metal to close them, it was incredibly hot. I once took a welding class ages back, just to kind of live on a whim, and made the mistake that just cause metal isn’t glowing red, that doesn’t mean it isn’t scorching hot. It was that same burn. Too intense for your mind to process for a second. Then all your nerves fire at once.

Basira Hussain, statement given directly, September 19th 2016 The Magnus Archives - 043 Section 31

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There was no build-up to the screams; no lead-up to explain the sudden eruption of sounds of agony. There were crashes as well, noises of impact and, once or twice, something that sounded like tearing. Through it all, in the background, played that beautiful music. I stood there, frozen in place, not wanting to go down there, but not feeling able to flee, as below all I could hear was haunting music and butchery.

Jennifer Ling, November 3rd 2013 The Magnus Archives - 042 Grifter’s Bone