Rusty Fears 7 - The Uses of Analog

Summary

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The Magnus Archives: Rusty Fears 7 - "The Uses of Analog"

Date: June 25, 2026
Podcast: The Magnus Archives (Rusty Quill)
Episode: Rusty Fears 7
Featured Story: "The Uses of Analog" by Aaron Swartz

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Episode Overview

This special Rusty Fears installment of The Magnus Archives delivers a tightly-wound, atmospheric horror tale titled "The Uses of Analog." The story, authored by Aaron Swartz and presented in the podcast's signature statement format, explores the sinister side of memory editing via analog technology—a VHS rental shop with a hidden, chilling purpose. Through the experiences of Mike, a longtime employee with a blurry grasp of his own life, listeners are drawn into a narrative about the literal and metaphorical costs of forgetting.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Everyday Horror: The Mundane and the Monstrous

• The story grounds itself in the routine and obsolete—a VHS rental and repair shop—as the gateway to something deeply unsettling.
• Mike’s monotonous job is filled with subtle anxiety, especially surrounding certain customers. The juxtaposition of the everyday with the eldritch is classic Magnus style.

2. Two Kinds of Customers

• Regulars: Older patrons with working VCRs, and curious young people marveling at the relics of the past—but these are not the ones to fear.
• The Others: Mysterious clients who arrive at closing time, seeking edits not of tape, but of memory and reality itself.

"They came once a month, maybe, always right around closing time, and they always waited until the store was empty before marching right up to the desk like they owned the place. Maybe they did. Mike really wasn't sure."
— [05:49]

3. The Editing Ritual

• Editing orders include requests like erasing or splicing moments—sometimes as if removing memories themselves.
• Payment is split: half cash ($500 per minute), half a significant memory or event offered up as the true fee.

"He would look the customer in the eyes for the first and only time during their visit. And the other half? He would ask. The answer varied too... The first time I killed someone. Cheap offerings, usually, especially compared to what they wanted done, but always good enough."
— [07:31]

4. The Very Back Room

• This secret, forbidden space is filled with strange, unknowable tech feeding into an ominous chair—a clear invocation of the unnerving physicality of analog horror.
• The 'procedure' is painful, sometimes causing the customers to scream, but Mike knows how to "snip out the pain" as well.

5. Memory as Currency and Burden

• Each edited moment is extracted onto a labeled VHS tape for storage—evoking both horror and sorrow, as the shop gradually accumulates these fragments of lived experience.

"He'd think about the rows and rows of tapes in the very back room labelled in his careful handwriting. He'd think about the three tapes labelled Mike Pendleton... years 1 to 10... 11 to 16... 17 to 24. He'd think about watching them. He wouldn't watch them."
— [13:52]

6. The Enforcer: “Fuchsia”

• Fuchsia, not her real name but always marked by the color, serves as both supervisor and threat, overseeing more forceful memory manipulations and referring to clients as "patients" rather than customers.
• The narrative suggests fear and power, with Fuchsia ensuring compliance from Mike, who does his job without complaint.

"Fuchsia never came in for herself. Fuchsia came in to place orders and to make sure they got filled to the letter. Fuchsia expected results immediately and didn't like waiting."
— [12:44]

7. Existential Undertones and Mike’s Uncertainty

• Mike’s own past is dubious—his life is as fragmented as the tapes he edits for others. The story ends on the note that he has never known anything else, his identity as uncertain and open-ended as the fate of those tapes.

"Mike had worked at Video Help Stop VHS Rental and Repair for as long as he could remember, and it was an alright job, mostly. Then again, how was he to know? He'd never really done anything else?"
— [14:45]

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• The customer’s “other half” of payment:
  "My sixth birthday party, one would say. The day my son was born. One would be another's offer. First time I got laid. Seeing Bowie live in 92. The first time I killed someone."
  — [07:37]

• Mike’s own erased past:
  "He'd think about the three tapes labelled Mike Pendleton... He wouldn't watch them."
  — [13:52]

• Fuchsia as a figure of dread:
  "Fuchsia made sure Mike understood how little she liked waiting. Mike wasn't sure why Fuchsia was so scared of him, but he didn't worry about it too much."
  — [12:59]

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Important Segments & Timestamps

• [05:49] — Beginning of "The Uses of Analog" story
• [07:31] — Introduction of the memory-editing process and payment ritual
• [12:44] — Introduction of Fuchsia and her role as an enforcer
• [14:45] — Mike’s existential uncertainty and ambiguous ending

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Tone & Atmosphere

The story is delivered in the calm, almost detached voice characteristic of the Magnus Archives' statements, with a slow-burn tension that builds dread through the ordinary. The language is precise, sparse, and laced with a sense of lurking unease—a distinctly Magnus blend of urban gothic and psychological horror.

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Summary

"The Uses of Analog" is a haunting meditation on memory, identity, and the literal dangers of erasing the past. Through the lens of a forgotten VHS shop and its cryptic backroom dealings, the episode explores the price we pay to forget—and whether some parts of ourselves can ever truly be lost. The horror is not just in the supernatural, but in the quiet resignation of a life whose meaning has been steadily edited away.

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For more on the Magnus Archives and upcoming projects, visit rustyquill.com.

Transcript

[A]

Hi there, Billy Hindle here, the voice of Alice Dyer in the Magnus Protocol. As part of the Magnus Archive's 10th anniversary, Rusty Quill is hosting a special Magnus Live show at the upcoming Crossed Wires Podcast Festival in Sheffield. Join co creators Jonathan Sims and Alexander J. Newell on 5 July for a new iteration of our live show. Statement Begins, where you can hear fan favorite statements such as anglerfish, redlive and gain exclusive insights into the creation and history of the show straight from the creators themselves. You can buy your tickets now, including limited numbers of meet and greet tickets from Crossedwires Live or the link in the description of this episode.

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[B]

Hi there, Jonathan Sims here. And before today's episode, I wanted to tell you about from the Library of Jurgen Leitner, an upcoming the Magnus Archives prequel novel available for pre order right now at www.rustedquill.com. novel Return to the World of the Magnus Archives Inn from the Library of Jurgen Leitner an official prequel novel written by Nebula World Fantasy and Aurora Award winning author Premie Mohammed. With the help of yours truly. From the Library of Jurgen Leitner explores an infamous organization from the Magnusverse for the first time. The perilous private library of the enigmatic collector Jurgen Leit from the Library of Jurgen Leitner will be published on October 27, 2026 and is available for pre order now as a hardback audiobook and eBook. Visit www.rustedquill.com novel for more information. That's rustyquill.com novel or click the link in the show Notes of this Epis.

[I]

The Uses of Analog By Aaron Swartz Mike had worked at Video Help Stop VHS Rental and Repair for as long as he could remember, and it was an alright job, mostly. Then again, how was he to know? He'd never really done anything else. He'd heard that most people hated their jobs, so being bored most days seemed like it probably wasn't too bad in comparison. It was the same routine day after day. Unlock the shutter and doors, send out any notices for tapes that were either about to be due or well past due, and wait. That was most of the job, waiting. And on the rare occasion the dented bell above the door would signal a new arrival, Mike's heart would judder subtly in his chest as he waited to see which kind of visitor they were. Of the few patrons VHS could claim, there were two main types. Most were older, the kind of people who not only still had VCRs but still used them. If it wasn't the old timers, then the bell most often heralded a couple of 20 somethings who would come stumbling in through the door, rifle through the collection while holding up this or that box to marvel at with their friends before the inevitable question of how does a place like this even stay in business anymore? Man would get thrown out like an afterthought. Mike would shrug, mumble something about a dying art form, and the 20 somethings would leave without renting anything. Both the older and younger customers were the first type. It was the second type of customer. That meant Mike's heart could never rest easy at the sound of the bell. They came once a month, maybe, always right around closing time, and they always waited until the store was empty before marching right up to the desk like they owned the place. Maybe they did. Mike really wasn't sure. They didn't like it when you looked them in the eye, though, so when they rushed the counter like a storm front, Mike pitched his eyes down and waited to hear what they wanted. It was always the same thing. I need an edit made, they'd say. Mike would nod. What kind and how much? He'd ask. The answer varied somewhat. Most often they'd say, I need a few minutes cut out, or sometimes I need 30 seconds spliced in, or I need a full wipe. The specifics didn't matter too much. Mike's next question was always do you know the terms. He'd get a nod or a grunt or a hoarse yes or a swear that stood in for agreement, and he would nod, finish closing up the store, and lead the customer into the back and through there into the very back. The back room of VHS was mostly normal. The very back room behind the false wall was not. Mike didn't know what most of the equipment did, and that was mostly what the room was filled with. Choked clots of cables ticking, eight tracks spinning like tiny moons, lights that blinked on and off like stars and sometimes didn't blink at all. It all fed into the chair, and that was where Mike would always gesture for the customer to take a seat. Once, one of the more nervous customers had joked that the chair was straight out of the matrix, Mike had stared at the man's shoes he didn't like to be looked at in the eye, and then continued prepping the equipment he knew how to use. The customer had sat down eventually. Mike never had to worry about getting them into the chair, just the other parts. Once they were seated, Mike would ask the next question. Do you have the payment? He'd ask, and they'd hand him money. He counted it out of habit, not necessity. No one had ever tried to shortchange him, and he never needed to explain the rate. $500 per minute. When the money was counted, he would set it aside, and then he would look the customer in the eyes for the first and only time during their visit. And the other half? He would ask. The answer varied too. My sixth birthday party, one would say. The day my son was born. One would be another's offer. First time I got laid. Seeing Bowie live in 92. The first time I killed someone. Cheap offerings, usually, especially compared to what they wanted done, but always good enough. No one tried to shortchange him with that half of the payment either. He wasn't entirely certain why. Maybe it was because he looked them in the eye. He would let his eyes fall, noticing passively the way the customer's body relaxed as he did, and move back to the equipment. It was tricky to work properly, but after all this time, Mike had the knack for it and could cut, splice, insert, or rewrite the relevant segments as requested. He could even snip out the pain of the procedure, which, judging from the way most of them screamed, must have been significant. After the requested work was done, he'd load in a blank tape and collect their payment, labeling it carefully with the events it contained while the customer rebooted one system at a time, adding the new tape to the bank of others against the right wall of the very back room. He'd give the customer however much time they needed to remember the necessities of breathing, blinking, walking and all the rest, and escort them out of the very back room, through the back room into the door, where they would hurry off into the night. They always seemed keen to get going after their business with him was concluded, which Mike didn't mind in the slightest. And then Mike would go home, which was the grey apartment above the video store and the only other place he spent his time. And he'd sleep and dream of a shut door and a silent bell and smile. Or sometimes he'd dream of a set of tapes, three in a wall of a hundred, and frown. And then he'd open the shop again the next day. Anyway, it was an alright job. The worst days were when Fuchsia came in. That wasn't her name, but it was the colour she always wore somewhere. Sometimes a tie, sometimes a belt, sometimes a bracelet, sometimes makeup, sometimes streaked in her hair. So that was what she was in Mike's mind. Fuchsia. Fuchsia never came in for herself. Fuchsia came in to place orders and to make sure they got filled to the letter. Fuchsia expected results immediately and didn't like waiting. Fuchsia made sure Mike understood how little she liked waiting. Mike wasn't sure why Fuchsia was so scared of him, but he didn't worry about his it too much. He just got on with things and did his job as he was told. Like the times when Fustia would tell him to go in the back while she went and got his patient. She said patient instead of customer, which Mike didn't like. But he'd go into the very back room and begin setting up the equipment anyway. And sooner or later three or four big men would drag the customer into the room, shove them into the chair and tighten the manacles built into the arms of the bulky contraption until they cut into the customer's thin wrists. Fuchsia was always very insistent that he do his job without complaint, even though he never complained or did anything but his job. So long as they paid, he would fill the brief just as they asked. He didn't like doing complete reformats, but they were part of the job, so he did them. He just didn't look those customers in the eyes and didn't label the tapes he made out of them. Sometimes, in the long quiet spaces where Mike sat at the counter and hoped the bell wouldn't ring, his mind would wander. He'd think about the rows and rows of tapes in the very back room labelled in his careful handwriting. He'd think about the three tapes labelled Mike Pendleton in the same careful handwriting as all the rest, the first labelled years 1 to 10, the second years 11 to 16, the third years 17 to 24. He'd think about watching them. He wouldn't watch them. Mike had worked at Video Help Stop VHS Rental and Repair for as long as he could remember, and it was an alright job, mostly. Then again, how was he to know? He'd never done anything else?

[J]

The Magnus Protocol is a podcast distributed by Rusty Quill and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non commercial share alike 4.0 international license. To subscribe, view associated materials or join our Patreon visit rustyquill.com Rate and review us online. Tweet us the rustyquill, visit us on Facebook or email us via mailustyquill.com thanks for listening.

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[A]

of Alice in the Magnus Protocol and I'm here to tell you about from the Library of Jurgen Leitner an upcoming novel available for pre order right [e-mail] novel Return to the World of the Magnus Archives in From the Library of Jurgen Leitner an official prequel novel written by Nebula World Fantasy and Aurora Award winning author Preemi Muhammad. With the help of the Magnus Archives own writer and lead voice Jonathan and Sims, from the Library of Jurgen Leitner explores an infamous organization from the Magnusverse for the first time. The perilous private library of the enigmatic collector Jurgen Leitner, where occult books are guarded and researched at a fatal cost. Leitner's library keeps the dangers of these books in check and the would be reader safe, or so Lightner claims. For two of Leitner's employees, the risks are worth it. For Hugh Franklin, the library is a place to belong. For Sebastian Everett, the library is an opportunity to indulge arcane ambitions. Though their 10 years at the library were years apart, Huw and Sebastian's stories unfold in parallel and their footsteps echo down the same eerie aisles, caught in a web spun long before either ever heard the name Jurgen Leitner. Will they find a way out? Or will the library consume them before it's too late? From the Library of Jurgen Leitner will be published on October 27, 2026 and is available for pre order now. Visit rustyquill.com novel for more information. That's rustyquill.com N O V E L

[J]

hi Alex Here, founder and CEO of Rusty Quill Ltd. In case you haven't heard, there is now a Magnus Archives novel. The Library of Jurgen Leitner is set in the world of the Magnus Archives and written by Nebula Award winning author Premier Muhammad with our very own Jonathan Sims. The story follows Hugh, a university dropout desperate to find somewhere to belong and his new job at an esoteric library. The books he must investigate for the enigmatic Jurgen Leitner are not normal because the library is not a vault sealed and silent, but a hive alive, buzzing and ready to sting. The Library of Jurgen Leitner releases October 27, 2026, but you can pre order it right now in the US and UK from your local bookshop or by using the link in the episode description. If you live outside of the UK or us, you may be able to make an international order for this first publication, but it depends on individual retailers, shipping policies.