What the return!

Hi folks,

Wishing you the very best for the coming week from everyone at Rusty Towers!

This week, we’d like to talk about what’s going to be on Patreon over the next few months. We have some really cool Patreon exclusive bonus content in the works, including the return of our favourite ghost hunter, Georgie Barker and her show What the Ghost!, exclusively for Rusty Nobles. The third episode of this is coming later this month, written by and starring Sasha Sienna. You can find the previous two episodes on our Patreon, here. If you love What the Ghost!, you’ll be pleased to know that one of the Kickstarter stretch goals that was successfully unlocked is The Magnus Protocol spin-off series written by Sasha Sienna.

We’re also pleased to say that Enthusigasm season 3 is coming exclusively to Patreon over the next few months. Hosted by the wonderful Helen Gould, Enthusigasm is our light-hearted and heart-warming chat show covering our favourite things. If you’ve never listened before, pick your favourite topic – whether it’s RPGs, baking, video games, or Lord of the Rings – and listen to an episode. Enthusigasm is available to listen to ad-free for Rusty Knights.

We’ve had quite a few new Patreons lately – a huge hello and welcome! Thank you so much for your support. If you’re looking for some of our Patreon bonus content, you should take a look at our content explorer on our website. This is updated periodically and makes it much easier to have a look at the different bonuses we have available. The Patreon Content Explorer is up-to-date as of October 2022, and we’ll be updating it with more recent content very soon. We’re also planning some structural changes to the page, to make it easier to browse and differentiate between the different tiers when browsing our bonus content.

If you’re looking for something new to read or listen to, here’s a few of our favourites:

• Inexplicables is our Patreon-exclusive audio drama, written by Tom Critch and Alexander J Newall, following a community of supernatural folks trying to live their lives in relative peace. But when their main benefactor dies, leaving things to her unknowing children, drama ensues… Listen to the first episode here.
• The Magnus Archives fluff episodes are non-canon, fan-written stories about the softer side of the Archives crew. These five episodes are a great cosy listen after the horror of the main show. Listen to the first episode here.
• Compulsory Film Appreciation is a Patreon exclusive series inspired by Stellar Firma. Hartro needs a hobby, and IMOGEN has a suggestion Hartro can’t ignore… This recently-finished spin-off about watching old earth movies is so much fun – Listen to the first episode here.
• RQG Mobile Stone chat – If you’ve ever wondered what a LOLOMG group chat would be like…
• Finally, if you’re bored this week, why not try a Rusty Quill-themed puzzle? There’s sudokus, crosswords, logic puzzles, anagrams and more for you to try.

Meanwhile, to continue our series of interviews with podcast creators, we spoke to IMS, the writer and creator of The Program Audio Series.

Tell us a bit about who you are and about your show.

I created The Program out of a frustration over what I consider the predominant failing of our modern society, in which rampant individualism trumps any regard for the common good. We’ve engineered a world in which those least compassionate will thrive and then gaslight everyone else that this is human nature. I am deeply convinced the future will not be kind to our age.

It is so that I came up with the framing device for the series: an anthology of self-contained stories set in a future in which Money, State, and God became fused into a single entity. However, the show is less about this world as much as it's about our present one, asking the listener - "Which one is the real dystopia here?"

Creating this parallel universe allowed me to channel my feelings into a creative project the goal of which is to offer both entertainment and food for thought. And maybe even hope that an alternative to our current system is possible.

What got you into podcasting?

Most of the podcasts I personally consume fall into two categories: intimate stories told by ordinary people, and shows that teach me something. I strive to exude these values in my own work, meaning I have two goals with every episode of The Program: to explore a new topic, and to elicit an emotion. As such, individual episodes run a gamut from being poignant, to funny, to disturbing. This also means stories are told in a variety of genres and formats, and I always encourage new listeners to skip around and find something that suits their sensibilities.

The other thing I like about podcasts is that they allow me to consume content in a succinct manner at a time that’s convenient for me. Which is another principle I uphold in my work: I respect the listeners' time by stringently editing each episode, and do my best to allow new audiences to quickly decide if The Program is something they might enjoy. For example, I recently created a video with snippets from the first 25 episodes to allow prospective listeners to get a taste for the series in little more than 5 minutes.

Last point I want to mention is YouTube, which is becoming an ever popular channel for podcasts. Even though The Program is now available on YouTube in addition to all the usual podcasting platforms, my guiding thought remains to always make narratives native to the audio medium. These are not "movies you listen to", but audio-first stories that move you.

Does it bother you that The Program is often compared to Black Mirror?

Not at all, as I'm a fan of Black Mirror myself (even if I find my work to be less cynical). In fact, I recently leaned into the Black Mirror comparison and created a video that showcases three most Black-Mirror-esque episodes.

You can listen to The Program wherever you find podcasts, or on the Rusty Quill website.

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Finally on Friday our bonus for Rusty Citizens and above are some more wallpapers, this time for Inexplicables, Enthusigasm and Stellar Firma.

Have a good week all!

The Rusty Quill team