| ATTENTION! SPOILERS AHEAD!! This article contains information from later episodes of The Magnus Archives and may contain major spoilers for the setting and plot. Continue at your own risk. |
The tape recorders are digital magnetic recording devices used by the archival staff to record audio versions of statements.
History[]
The archival staff began using tape recorders after Jonathan Sims discovered that truly supernatural statements cannot be recorded on a laptop. Martin Blackwood held on to a few while he hid in the Magnus Institute from Jane Prentiss to record his poetry on.
As John's powers grew, the recorders began to appear whenever something significant was happening, turning on and off at will. They also began following other members of the archival staff around, seeming to have a fondness for Martin.
When John ventured into the Coffin to rescue Daisy Tonner, Martin left several recorders in the office for John to use as an anchor to guide them back.
Connection with The Web[]
- "Oh, Martin. You have no idea who's listening, do you?"
-Annabelle Cane, MAG 196
In MAG 196, Annabelle Cane reveals that the tape recorders are not truly aligned with The Eye, but with The Web. She uses the tapes to weave a massive web over the Gap in Reality, to act as a secondary anchor between The Entities and reality. She explains to John that, if he can destroy the Panopticon and the Pupil of The Eye, the weight of existence will drag The Web through the Gap, and the other Entities with it.