Piles of Nonsense

Home of several unofficial events for the Rusty Quill fandom. Currently running: Rusty Quill Mini Bang 2026!

[pilesofnonsense]

RUSTY QUILL BIG BANG 2025

The Rusty Quill Big Bang is back to challenge you (yes, you!) to put your creative talents to the test. If you’ve been waiting for the chance to take on an ambitious project or collaborate with other folks in the fandom, now’s the time!

Writer sign-ups open on Monday, May 12th, with artist sign-ups to come in August!

Schedule for 2025:

Writer Sign-ups: May 12th - 18th

Full First Draft & Summary Due: August 10th

Artist Sign-ups: August 18th - August 24th

Art Draft Deadline: September 28th

Final Fic & Art Due: October 19th

Posting: October 26th

Info for Writers:

Minimum Final Word Count: 15,000

Maximum Number of Fics per Writer/s: 1

Maximum Number of Writers per Fic (collaboration): 2

All fics centered around at least one Rusty Quill original podcast (The Magnus Archives, The Magnus Protocol, Rusty Quill Gaming, Stellar Firma, Inexplicables, Chapter & Multiverse, Trice Forgotten, Cry Havoc!, Neon Inkwell) are welcome!

We will post a link to the sign-up form along with the rules and requirements on the appropriate day, but if you’re interested in participating, you can have a look at the full Challenge Guidelines and other information on our blog right now.

[pilesofnonsense]

Is there going to be a big bang event in 2026? Is there a rough timeline for when it's gonna be announced, when sign-ups are gonna happen, etc?

Zero rush at all, simply curious about if I should plan to anything other than write this summer (/j)

Hello, we are planning to do something this year but are likely going to run a shorter event (both word and time wise) than in the last years due to other commitments for the mods.

We'll announce it in the next few weeks so keep an eye on the blog!

[erebus0dora]

i finally can share my small but fun contribution the 2025 Rusty Quill Big Bang: i had my chance to illustrate this gorgeous story

since the image can give certain things away if you really squint, i am publishing it now, as the corresponding chapter is out 💜

[pilesofnonsense]

hi, just stumbled across y'all! i've read some of the past RQBB fics and they're great :) i've done big bangs for other fandoms before, and i missed the deadline this year for RQBB's, but definitely looking forward to doing next year's. quick question just so i can plan appropriately—are multichapter fics allowed if all chapters are posted on the deadline?

Hello!

Yes, multichapter fics are welcome, so long as all chapters are posted on posting day! Hope to see you next year! :)

[polekands]

Somewhere in a pocket of reality nestled close to this one, a being not of this world was watching, observing it all. Lingering.

I had the absolute pleasure and honour to make an illustration for @yourlocalwhovian's incredible fic "The Draw- A Quite Literal Magnus Archives AU" you should go and -> read <- it immediatly omg. This was part of the rustyquill-big-bang by @pilesofnonsense

This fic has everything - chilling statements, an awkward Jon, black ooze(?) and Sasha making the most curious investigations.

Here is also a little bonus doodle of Sasha :)

[morning-softness]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Just Close Your Eyes and Pretend That Everything’s Fine

Summary: When Jon falls ill on a weekend that Martin's out of town for a library conference, Gerry does his best to step up and take care of him. Unfortunately, Gerry doesn't have much experience caring for someone who's ill, and Jon is very bad at allowing himself to be taken care of. The more they try to act like everything's fine—to themselves, to each other, and to Martin—the worse the actual situation gets.

Words: 17,182

I’m so grateful that Rusty Quill Big Bang lowered the minimum word count from 20,000 to 15,000 words this year. It made a world of difference for me participating as a writer. Thanks to @pilesofnonsense for organizing this amazing event, and to @alieu-drawz and @kricketbug for the wonderful artwork they drew for this fic (which you can see here and here).

[phenomenice]

It's Rusty Quill Big Bang time!!

This year I was so excited to work on @organchordsandlightning (aka SupposedToBeWriting)'s fic Space Opera (Wrong Set). I love this fic, it's so creative -- it's very steampunk space opera and that inspired the style of these images, which references woodcut illustrations.

[thatdrumbotperson]

RQ Big Bang 2025

I had the honour to do the art for @griseldagimpel 's fanfic :] it was really fun and great to work with you! :D

Thank you for @pilesofnonsense for letting me Join this year :]

[sek-rap]

My piece for this year's Rusty Quill Big Bang, hosted by @pilesofnonsense ! I got to draw this really beautiful scene in CallmeDJ's fic Ship Without a Rudder !

[griseldagimpel]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Chapters: 5/5 Fandom: The Magnus Archives (Podcast), The Magnus Protocol (Podcast) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Celia Ripley/Annabelle Cane Characters: Melanie King, Georgie Barker, Basira Hussain, Celia Ripley, Annabelle Cane, Fear Entity Avatar Ensemble (The Magnus Archives) Additional Tags: Post-Apocalypse, Trauma, Canon-Compliant, Bondage, Post-Canon, Action, Angst, Minor Character Death, Manipulation, Toxic Relationships, Canon-Typical The Flesh Content, Canon-Typical The Hunt Content, Canon-Typical The Web Content, Canon-Typical The Slaughter Content, Canon-Typical The Desolation Content, Canon-Typical The Spiral Content, Adultery, Unhappy/Bitterwsweet Endings, Vigilantism, Betaed Summary:

Set between the end of The Magnus Archives and the beginning of The Magnus Protocol, this fan fic follows Melanie, Georgie, Basira, and Celia in the wake of Towerfall, as they deal with their new status quos. Melanie grapples with her past as a Slaughter Avatar, Georgie has the weight of the world on her shoulders, Basira tries to determine what “justice” means in this new world, and Celia seeks safety in the arms of Annabelle.

[kd-heart]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Fandom: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Major Character Death Relationships: Zolf Smith & Oscar Wilde Characters: Zolf Smith, Oscar Wilde (Rusty Quill Gaming), Azu (Rusty Quill Gaming), Hamid Saleh Haroun al-Tahan, Celiquillithon “Cel” Sidebottom, Commander James Barnes (Rusty Quill Gaming), Sohra (Rusty Quill Gaming) Additional Tags: Podfic, Podfic Length: 2.5-3 Hours, Rusty Quill Big Bang 2025, AU - Canon Divergence, Bodyswap, (Zolf and Wilde swap bodies during the airship bodyswap arc), Northern Wastes Arc, Spans Episodes 168 - 177, Angst, Grief, Guilt, Death, Arguments, Happy Ending, POV Zolf Smith, Non-Linear Narrative, (alternates between the past [pre-airship crash] and the present [post-airship crash]), Canon Temporary Character Death, (Wilde), Queerplatonic Relationships, Conversations, Getting Together, Love Confessions, (in a queerplatonic sense), Alcohol Summary:

[Podfic of He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not by @bluejayblueskies​ for Rusty Quill Big Bang 2025 @pilesofnonsense​, with more art by @wordsintimeandspace​]

Then. Zolf doesn’t know why everyone on the airship is in the wrong body after flying through the borealis, but he does know this: he is in Wilde’s body, and Wilde is in his, and Wilde is not taking it with anything approaching grace. Now. Zolf has just lost his oldest friend in the airship crash. It’s hard to grieve the death of a friend when you see his face every time you look in the mirror, and harder still when you’re told by a mysterious stranger offering a chance at resurrection that you may not have to grieve at all.

[yourlocalwhovian]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Chapters: 25/25 Fandom: The Magnus Archives (Podcast) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan “Jon” Sims | The Archivist, Georgie Barker/Melanie King, Elias Bouchard | Jonah Magnus/Peter Lukas Characters: Jonathan “Jon” Sims | The Archivist, Martin Blackwood, Sasha James, Tim Stoker (The Magnus Archives), Basira Hussain, Melanie King Additional Tags: Threats of Violence, Injury detail foot and shoulder, Strong Peril, references to drowning, Questioning of Reality, mild gun violence, mild references to knife violence, references to grief, unreality, mild references to police brutality, Social Isolation, Obsessive cleaning, Arachnophobia, Strong Language, mild claustrophobia references, references to death, implied self harm, Horror, Angst, Mystery, Bittersweet Ending, (Attempts at) Humour, no beta we die like- well- almost all of the characters Summary:

Set after TMA 200 in an alternative universe strangely similar to the canon, Sasha questions the very reality of her Institute. Something is wrong in the Magnus Institute, and the more she investigates, the more she realises that all is not what it seems.

Meanwhile, Jon completes investigations of his own that have… monstrous conclusions.

Watch the archival crew as they are forced to reckon with power far greater than any of them have experienced. In this reality, at least.

[yourlocalwhovian]

HEY GUYS!!!

TODAY IS THE DAY

MY MAGNUS ARCHIVES FIC THAT I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON FOR THE RUSTY QUILL BIG BANG - run by the amazing @pilesofnonsense - IS FINALLY DONE!!

Have a look, if you daaaare~!

On a serious note, this is my LONGEST EVER STORY STORY FINISHED so any feedback would be very much appreciated!

The art is done by the AMAZING @polekands and personally if you like magnus archives YOU SHOULD CLICK ON THE LINK JUST TO LOOK AT THE ART BECAUSE HOLY DAYMNNNNNN

It is called- thanks to the awful sharing link-:

The Draw- A Quite Literal Magnus Archives AU

[kricketbug]

These are my pieces for @morning-softness fic, Just Close Your Eyes and Pretend That Everything's Fine ( : I'm so glad i was (finally) able to participate in the Rusty Quill Big Bang @pilesofnonsense, and so happy that I got to work with Anna and @alieu-drawz (who also made amazing art for this)!

This is a sick fic and hurt/comfort, which means we get to enjoy lots of skrunkly Jon (top tier). it WILL hurt your feelings but I've heard it will also pat you on the head and kiss your forehead at the end too if you can make it. Doing some Gerry/Jon/Martin art was so fun!! Please go check it out.

[darcydoescosplay]

RUSTY QUILL BIG BANG 2025

Surprise!! I got to participate in the RQBB25 event and I had such a fun time!! An extra special thank you to @areyouokaypanda for doing the AMAZING art for my fic, I adore it and appreciate the work you put into it so much!!!

Title & Link: Why Are You Still Fighting?

Fandom: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)

Relationships: Zolf Smith & Oscar Wilde, Howard Carter & Zolf Smith, Commander James Barnes & Howard Carter & Oscar Wilde, (implied) Alfred "Bosie" Douglas/Oscar Wilde

Characters: Zolf Smith, Oscar Wilde, Howard Carter, Commander James Barnes, Marie Curie, Alfred "Bosie" Douglas

Rating: Mature (Graphic Depictions of Violence, Minor Character Death)

Content Warnings: marked by chapter (general warnings for mental struggles, guilt and grief, snippets of violence, and trying to keep it together in a world that is quickly falling apart)

He just needed something, anything, to do. Anything that would help him get off of his ass and make him useful again. He needed to be useful so he didn’t have to deal with the grief that came with abandoning the only people that cared about him.

He thought about Wilde, but dismissed the thought almost as quickly as it came. Why, of all people, did his mind go to Wilde? The man was an ass, and he probably wouldn't even want anything to do with Zolf more that he wasn't bound by the contract. It had been a few days, so Earhart was probably gone by now. She didn't give the impression of liking to stay in one place for long. It wasn't like it would be easy to track her down anyway.

So who did that even leave?

And an extra surprise, I have a playlist for this fic with all the sources of the chapter titles that you can find RIGHT HERE!!

[leporidaee]

my pieces for @beheldandcompelled ‘s wonderful fic Not The Villian, make sure to go check it out! thank you to @pilesofnonsense for hosting, i had a lot of fun participating in this event!

[rhywhitefang]

Here are more illustrations I did for the Rusty Quill Big Bang (organised by @pilesofnonsense) for @runarelle 's wonderful fic The Blood Will Run Like Wine

[rhywhitefang]

As part of the Rusty Quill Big Bang as hosted by @pilesofnonsense I had the honor to work with @runarelle on their fic The Blood Will Run Like Wine