Stories and suggestions
Added 2020-09-14 15:10:01 +0000 UTCHi folks,
Best wishes on the start of another week from Rusty Towers! With this being our year end from an accounting viewpoint, we’re very much looking ahead to 2021. There are several new projects that are on the horizon, operationally, community-wise and for new shows, and there’s a lot of strategising that needs to happen to make sure they can all be well-supported.
Part of this involves making sure that our support teams are appropriately staffed, especially with many of the crew being part-time. Obviously we have to balance this with our existing finances, and not overstretching ourselves, but it means that there are likely to be some new opportunities available at Rusty Towers, firstly in tech and HR support, so if you’re interested, do keep an eye on our website for details in the coming weeks.
Talking of shows, there’s one update I can talk a bit more about now. As I mentioned last week, we have a long-awaited Patreon exclusive show that was a result of one of our very earliest milestone goals. For a number of reasons, not least of which was a lack of adequate production capacity until this year, work on that has been slower than ideal.
However, as our infrastructure has improved thanks to your continued support, we were finally able to get going on this. While more details have to be kept under wraps for a little while longer I can confirm that this will be a six-part audio drama, and will be released to all Patrons at the Citizen tier or above in one go. Given how long it has taken us to get to this stage, we felt it should be available to the majority of our supporters here, as well as not being strung out over six weeks to get the full story.
Pulling the curtain back a bit to show you behind-the-scenes, the production team includes:
- Maddy Searle, as Showrunner, Director & Lead Editor;
- Hannah Preisinger, as Producer; and
- Helen Gould, as Script Editor
Casting should begin shortly, and I look forward to announcing more details about it in due course. No timeframe as yet for release, as 2020 continues to take its toll on show productions in general, but we’ll let you know as things take shape.
I’d also like to take a moment to address concerns raised about last week’s bonus content, the latest from the TMA ‘fluff’ competition. Thank you to everyone who took the time to write to us with constructive criticism. We acknowledge that the behaviour on display from John and Tim can be read as mean-spirited, and were this situation to be duplicated in a real life workplace environment, it would be unacceptable and should not be passed off so lightly. While none of the characters are presented as neurodivergent, and though this was reviewed by RQ folks who are, we accept that some listeners were affected in ways we had not anticipated, and are sorry for that.
We should have taken more care to ensure that suitable content warnings were available at release, especially for something that was billed as fluff, and we’ll make sure that more rigorous checks are applied, though we very much appreciate folks letting us know when we make mis-steps so that we can correct future actions.
In Stellar Firma news – thanks to all who submitted suggestions for the first round of prompts. It’s now time for the next one as a second suggestion form is now open! And it’s time for some business advice. Does your department or external organisation have a problem? Then tell us your problem, and we’ll come up with a solution! Submit your problems to us on this handy form!
And, here's what you can expect from us this week (all shows release at 4pm UK time, unless otherwise stated):
Tue 15th September
RQG170 – Checking In* (Patreon)
Wed 16th September
MAG179 – Accomplice (Patreon)
RQG170 – Checking In* (Public)
RQ Streams – Anil plays… AI Dungeon (5pm)
Thu 17th September
MAG179 – Accomplice (Public)
Fri 18th September
Citizens+ – Rusty Bits #3 [Declassified]
Noble Bonus – MAG Outtakes : Sweet & Sticky
RQ Streams – Alasdair reads… Bedtime Stories (8pm)
Sat 19th September
RQ Streams – Bryn plays… The Talos Principle (1pm)
* Provisional title
Have a good week all!
Anil
Community Manager
Comments
I disagree. First, this was a fluff episode, not a normal horror episode. People might expect jokes about eldritch horror and eyeballs, but not necessarily workplace bullying. You might not see the ep that way, but a lot of people did, because it featured pretty one-sided mockery of a character as opposed to mutual "ribbing." Second, RQ is normally pretty vigilant about trigger warning things. If they were the type of company that never trigger-warned ever, I wouldn't expect them to warn for something like workplace bullying. However, RQ *does* use trigger warnings, whether you agree with that practice or not. If warnings spoil the experience for you, don't read them. I personally don't read them, but I appreciate that they're there for people who need them. Personally I find it extremely reasonable to ask someone to tag the kind of content they've already been tagging. RQ has already made it their policy to warn listeners so they can make the podcast more accessible to people with triggers. ETA: I have nothing against the writer of the fluff episode, I just think that what they intended to be funny teasing came off as bullying to a lot of people, including me. I think warning for bullying was an appropriate step. Not everyone's going to experience a piece in the same way.
fatal_drum
2020-09-14 23:55:33 +0000 UTCTelling people they need to “work out with their therapist” correctly identifying workplace bullying is horrific and enables this kind of behavior to be normalized. A boss purposefully orchestrating humiliating a subordinate, and others being in on the joke, isn’t “friendly ribbing of a coworker”—especially when it’s behind their back and causing them distress! If you can’t tell the difference between that and friendly teasing between friends, that’s between you and human resources at your workplace, but keep your belittling and pathologizing people who didn’t take such a situation as “fluffy” to yourself.
Bethany King
2020-09-14 18:33:34 +0000 UTCThis is the first time in the entire run of this podcast that I have asked RQ to add a warning or indeed made any request about the content they've released, but thanks for belittling my experience and making a heap of assumptions about people like me and our ability to appreciate the podcast just because you don't share the same feelings. What a positive and compassionate contribution you've made here today. If you don't like content warnings, no one is forcing you to read them. But if you truly recommend that people engage from a "constructive place," maybe don't spit in their faces when they ask for the tools to do so.
Fushi
2020-09-14 18:27:50 +0000 UTCThank you for using the Monday letter comment section to tell other people they're wrong for having a different reaction than you.
ieatahottchip
2020-09-14 18:18:35 +0000 UTCI'm excitedly looking forward to this week and all the weeks that shall follow! 🥰
Sinclair Cross
2020-09-14 18:15:33 +0000 UTCSo many things to look forward too! This week and further in the future!
P5A100
2020-09-14 18:04:33 +0000 UTCThanks for everything you all do! I love checking every Monday to see the new episode title for TMA, having time to speculate is always fun. I was honestly shocked at the response to the fluff episode this week. I grew up reading almost exclusively Stephen King, short horror stories, playing games like BioShock and Bloodborne and creating my own works of fiction tackling heavy and dark themes. Engaging with horror is always something you do at your own risk, and it’s important to do it from a constructive place. There have been times where I had to put a book down, pause a game, and take a walk— Because the writing was good, because it hit hard. I still remember the day I listened to 119 (or 118, I get them mixed up sometimes) where I found out Martin and I had almost the exact same trauma, including the exact ages mentioned in the show. I sat in my bathtub and cried, and then talked to my therapist about my own mother for the first time. It was such a healing, vulnerable experience for me and what hooked me on the podcast. Certain trigger warnings I can understand, but it’s a shame that people forget this is a horror podcast with very graphic, traumatic sequences that really aren’t ever a surprise when you know about the characters you have spent years fleshing out. Triggers that spoil the entire episode... I feel like a lot of people who came late in the game are so focused on the representation of LGBT characters that they see it as horror and tragedy second. It worries me, because we’ve been warned how it ends and I hope you don’t get backlash for ending it your way. It’s a beautiful, inspiring work of art. I’ve always liked when fandoms would self-regulate and create their own warnings, and just let the creators work... I loved the fluff episode. If you know anything about the personalities of those characters, everything isn’t a surprise. It wasn’t even mean, or bullying. People need to work out their anxieties with therapists, if something like that is genuinely triggering you, step away. Anyone who’s worked any office job knows exactly what it’s like to rib a coworker, AND be ribbed right back. I was an archivist for four years, and I was rightfully roasted for dancing badly in the stacks when I thought I was alone. It’s life! It sounds hard, but seriously, people need to heal before they expose themselves to media that could harm them. Beyond basic warnings for graphic content, it’s up to listeners to work on whatever they need to work on.
Jack Abele
2020-09-14 17:35:39 +0000 UTCThanks for taking the time to consider listener concerns! <3 And no pressure but any time you mention the Patreon bonus series I am levitating with excitement :D
Fushi
2020-09-14 15:41:10 +0000 UTC"Accomplice." Well I'm sure that won't be incredibly powerful and gut wrenching and explore moral issues at all.... This episode is going to be brutal and I can't wait. Also I am SO HYPED for the mini series and that is so lovely that we are going to get it all at once. The one sad thing about being caught up is that I don't get to binge your content anymore.
ThirdFromTheLeft
2020-09-14 15:16:52 +0000 UTC
