May 2024

which Magnus monster would you say you relate to most and why? And if you had to assign Jonny one, which one would that be?

Monster Pig.

Jonny has to be John. Though to be VERY clear they have wildly different personalities in reality.

i’m moving to yorkshire from the states in the fall, anything i absolutely should know prior to coming to the UK? any horrors to look out for? entities that tend to lurk around certain street corners? wax museums i should earnestly avoid?

It’s wetter and colder than you think. Also we have Roman Ghosts. You get used to it.

Do you have a favorite Martin line? Or just a favorite line in general from tma/what we have of tmagp?

“you might be able to get a machiatto or…”

hi! i hope you're doing well, hope figuring out tumblr isn't being too weird. i've been relistening to rqg again and i just wanted to say, i still respect your craft 👍🏽

i do also have a question: i am interesting in recording things such as music and maybe some voice acting, so as far as DAWs go, what programs have been the most effective for you in your experience?

Audacity. Though it is not what it once was.

In one of the tma after season q&as I believe it was mentioned you had courses for how to do stuff online like use audacity. Are those still avaliable in some form or fashion? I'm starting from scratch in terms of online creation knowledge

No but I am hoping to update them and make something like that available at some indeterminate point in the future on my own site.

Hello Mr Knowall, I hope you are well.

Without revealing too much regarding the plot of The Magnus Protocol, is there a character in the upcoming episodes you are particularily looking forward to see the fans react to?

Yes.

Hi Alex,

During a stream you did with Monte Cooke as well as during the pilot digital premiere, you referenced a fan that attempted to use a supercomputer to break the ARG.

So that was me.

And I just want to assure you that at no point did I have actual access to a supercomputer, and none of the people I know who work there would ever actually let me near the thing.

I apologize If I caused any actual concern.

I can’t believe you used a supercomputer and then lied to me about it.

(it’s all good)

The most vital Tumblr question to ask, if no one already has. Which do you like best, vampires or werewolves?

Vampires = weekdays

Werewolves = weekends

One takes themselves too seriously and the other tends to leave a mess.

It’s been established that Martin is a big retro/video game nerd. Any clues what one of his favourites might be?

I honestly don’t remember that being established so I am not going to suggest anything here in case I get it wrong.

in your name alexander j knowall, does the j stand for jenius

It does not.

So, I felt morally obligated to read through all of your responses since you took the time to answer them and you mentioned being an anime fan. Do you also read manga? If so, is there a manga you like better than its anime counterpart and vice versa?

Weirdly I never got into Manga. Not from a judgemental place just that growing up I could never get hold of it and now I find Anime more convenient so not a clue I’m afraid.

I am a pretty new fan and I was wondering if, before The Magnus Archives was on Spotify, the characters were still allowed to use cursewords?

So my actual question is: Are there secret edits of older episodes that contain them cursing? I wish Jon could say "Fuck".

So the reason there as less swearing is because American listeners were more likely to avoid anything marked explicit and the platforms reflected this in their algorithms. Interestingly this is still a thing although not so strong.

Do you have any recommendations for audiodramas/radio shows/whatever with great sound design?

I always devour the recommended ones in your Q&A specials

I would check out anything by Amber Devereaux who works on Tin Can Audio. They are very inventive and detail oriented.

Hi Mr Newall, I hope tumblr is treating you well and you aren't too overwhelmed by these questions. Do just stop responding for awhile if you are, we can be a lot.

As a self proclaimed workaholic, do you have any advice for finding a balance that's both healthy AND productive? Or more specifically how did you convince yourself that it was worth doing so? Sorry if that's too personal, no pressure to answer!

I have never struck this balance and honestly I don’t think my productivity is worth the personal costs. I strive to but thee things that make me work hard absolutely wreck my personal life if I let them. If you figure it out, let me know!

Hello, Alex

Now that there's been some time since then, do you feel any fondness for making an entire podcast pilot in 2 hours for the Kickstarter reward? Did you enjoy it, despite the stress of it all? (It was very enjoyable to watch, so I hope you at least had some fun making it)

I’m actually a bit frustrated and want to try again. I reckon I could do more in just one hour if I didn’t have to be entertaining at the same time.

If you had to pick one thing, what part of Erasing The Line would you say you're most proud of?

Finishing. Not joking, getting something of that scale to actually land is almost impossible. I know people have their issues and goodness knows there are other ways it could have gone but at least it Has an ending.

How do you motivate yourself to write when the brain worms aren’t taking over? (Currently struggling from the curse of Everything I Write Is Written Two Days Before The Deadline)

I don’t. I just have LOTS of fear, anxiety and compulsions that happen to result in work because if I miss a deadline hundreds of thousands of people get angry at me and then they get cruel. I’m just fleeing the monster.

So good to see you on here, finally!

Just wondering if your advice on making an audio drama is solid, I may have started writing one off the back of it.

I stand by all my advice unless I was being obviously sarcastic. I hope to one day give some more formal advice but my workload is vicious at the moment.

How many pelicans you'd have to suddenly find in your house before you'd start suspecting that someone is putting them there on purpose

0.1 Pelicans. Less than that I would just blame Casper the cat.

Hey Alex, how are you doing today? What did you have for breakfast?

I am very tired from a work crunch. Also I don’t eat breakfast or lunch anymore really so… Nothing?

give us some audio editing tips

Not without a please.

hey king hows yr day going

Boring and full of chores. Hope yours is fun though!

Hello boss man,

I was just listening to The Bifrost Incident by The Mechanisms and I thought I heard a familiar voice; by any chance did you have any lines in the song 'Terminus'?

I did.

do you think if i asked him nicely enough mr bonzo would do my top surgery

Not in a way that would be helpful.

Have you ever microwaved something that definitely shouldn’t be microwaved?

A metal bottle brush. Microwave was fine but the brush melted itself through a bunch of plastic before I realised what I had done.

I must know… is Celia’s last name after your Dog Ripley? Or that a happy accident?

It’s just that I think that Ripley from Aliens is just the frigging best so I nod to her more than I probably should.

hi Mr. Newall! I was just wondering if there’s any things-that-you-wish-you-knew/lessons from say s5 of The Magnus Archives that you’re taking into account for The Magnus Protocol? whether that’s writing tips, editing, the planning and plotting etc. I’m interested in the whole ordeal.


have a good day!

Some people don’t like change and some people don’t like repetition. Just tell the story you want.

WHO'S YOUR FAVOURITE DOCTOR WHO COMPANION, CHARACTER,AND VERSION OF THE DOCTOR?

Fave Doctor: Tenant

Companion: The Master (admit it the master is totally a companion)

I'm interested in playing some tabletop role playing games but the fear of the unknown and embarrassing myself around strangers is holding me back. You mentioned in a Q&A that RQG is not an accurate representation of playing pathfinder, and someone said you would come across badly if you tried to emulate the way you play in the podcast. In what way is it different? So I can prevent doing whatever that embarrassing thing is.

Much love from the community for joining tumblr but final little note to only keep responding to asks if YOU want to.

So Pathfinder is pretty “crunchy”, i.e. Full of rules and I, as a player, am a bit of of min-max munchkin, I.e. I can’t help but make the strongest character possible every time. The reason the episodes would come me across badly if they were unedited is merely because I was looking stuff up constantly, everyone was forgetting basic rules and we were generally a bit all over the place when it came to mechanics. This is boring to listen to, trust me.

TLDR don’t worry about it, you aren’t gaming for an audience so you’ll be fine.

Hello Alex, I've always wanted to know what a lethal dose of Marmite would be?
Given it has iron added there must be one. If possible please answer for the Australian/NZ Marmite as the rest are abominations.

So I am guessing that at about 2-2.5kg of marmite, the sodium would get you but good luck with keeping it down.

Hello Mr. Newall!

I was recently re-listening to the TMA S4 Q&A where you said you've bought three Mechanisms albums. Could I ask which three they were and which, out of all the Mechs albums, is your favourite?

Have a nice day :)

The only one I didn’t buy was The Bifrost Incident (ironic I know). My Favourite was probably Ulysses Dies at Dawn with High Noon over Camelot a close second but that’s probably because it was the order I first saw/ listened to them.

Could the bone turner technically give someone gender reassignment surgery and if you asked him nicely would he? Personally I doubt it he’s a school yard bully

I doubt he could but I’m sure he’d be willing to give it a horrific go.

can we have one (1) word from any unreleased protocol episode

The.

Hello Alex, what is your favourite song? if you don't mind me asking. :)

Have a nice day and be careful!
(PS I still find you super cool.)

I am a bit weird when it comes to music, that said it’s a toss up between Send Me On My Way by Rusted Root and Now We Are Free (that gladiator song everyone loves.)

Are you happy?

I am improving day-by-day and ultimately I think that’s the best that any of us can hope for.

hi! so sorry to be contributing to the flood i assume is currently flowing through your inbox.

i’ll be fully honest - i don’t know who you are beyond knowing vaguely that you’re involved with TMA/Rusty Quill, but i found this blog and you seem really cool!

any advice for a TMA listener on ep 4? i’m pretty much with no prior experience or influence as to what to think beyond some incredible fan art of characters i haven’t met yet! (one of whom i think you voice??)

so far the show is so cool and the community is amazing! obsessed with the cozy horror vibes so far <3 hope you have a wonderful day!

Hey! “Vaguely involved with TMA/Rusty Quill” pretty much sums me up.

My advice at this point is just listen to the show. Don’t try to get ahead of the story, don’t do research on what you should or shouldn’t be paying attention to. Just give it a listen and enjoy the ride. I guarantee you most of the people giving the advice would love to be in your position coming in from the cold for the first time again.

whats your favorite animal?

I’ll answer this honestly for a change.

Currently Pangolin but Octopi are making strong progress.

I need confirmation about something. I think it was mentioned somewhere but it's difficult to find Definite Proof in the Vast Depths of the Internet so I'm gonna ask here

Were you one of the distress signal voices in Terminus from The Bifrost Incident?

Yes.

I posted a tweet fairly recently and was directed here. A few friends and I had been playing a game of frantic fanfic and came to the conclusion we believe Jared Hopworth hates feet to the extent where he has none, only hands. Thoughts?

Makes as much sense as anything else although callouses would become a big problem since I doubt he is brachiating around like his forebears.

Hi Alex!


In episode 160, Martin unzips what’s presumed to be his bag while talking to Jon. My spouse and I have argued back and forth because I think Martin’s a sensible-suitcase-type-of-guy while he thinks Martin is more likely to have a tactical fanny pack. Thoughts?

Thoughts on the trans Alice (mtf) and Sam (ftm) headcanons? :)

I tend to steer clear of canon discussion and avoid head-canons as much as possible since I don’t really believe in the author-as-authority thing.

That said, just to be clear, the character Alice Dyer is canonically trans.

How is Casper?

Getting fat on treats from the neighbours and at serious risk of an intervention if it carries on.

please could i have some words to put on a patch for my jacket? i think this has Funny Potential so i am leaving it up to you boss man

“You are callipygous. I am erinaceous. We are not the same.”

“You have beautiful eyes. I want them.”

“If you can read this, go thank your teachers.”

Hello! If the OIAR crew fought to the death, who do you think would be the last one standing? I don’t think Sam would last very long

Definitely Lena.

Alex, this is a question which I believe you are the right person to answer. If one day all mammals started habitually laying eggs (like chickens do), where would we draw the line at what eggs are acceptable to eat? Would we eat any of these mammal eggs? What would the moral and/or ethical difference be between eating a rat egg and a lion egg (if any)? This haunts me at night and I desperately need answers.

This seems pretty straightforward to me. People would eat the eggs of animals they already eat, like with chickens. Generally speaking if someone says they enjoy lion eggs just back away slowly.

what's been your favourite magnus protocol episode to write so far?

One you haven’t heard yet. Jonny said it was positively dripping.

did you see this devastating news? 😔


[image ID: screenshot of trending news page reading "UK running out of ghosts". End ID]

Yeah sorry, I actually ordered all the ghosts in the UK for protocol and created a shortage.

How good do you think you'd be at Taskmaster?

Honestly? I think I would be middle of the pack but Very entertaining. I am… tricksy.

Trying to ask something that no one has asked yet so... we know your opinion on time travels fics but what is your opinion on crossover fics?

(me personaly, I like trying to blend the lore and world-specific rules from the different fandoms I'm trying to mix. the more different the better because it feels like a challenge and I like seeing what other people do with that too, even when it's not particularly good)

I’m generally not a fan since I’ve never seen one that really satisfied me. That said more power to the creators and fans of it.

Hows the GM fatigue? Have you wanted to do it again, real life or online? If not, do you think you will ever again?

I actually started my first attempt at GMing again last month. I am starting v. small and mostly as a bargaining chip to get a new gaming group together. It certainly won’t be an epic campaign or anything.