the scariest fear of all

[kindkit]

I am running out of Rusty Quill backlog to listen to. This is bad! Especially given my increasingly ferocious crush on Alex Newall.

I still have a few RQG specials, but soon I may be reduced to listening to the season recaps. Or possibly I'll just re-listen to RQG from the beginning, because why not?

(Yeah, I know. There are many reasons why someone might not listen for the second time to a podcast of people playing a tabletop roleplaying game. But see above re: crush.)

My most recent listen was the Honey Heist special, in which Alex and Ben flirt ridiculously and then have a huge argument about the best way to open a door. I loved it.

(I do actually listen to the main RQG podcast for the characters and plot, not just for Alex. But the specials are another matter.)

Comments

[rydra_wong]

Rusty Quill Gaming And Giving? I believe they've just put the 2017 stream onto YouTube too.

Obviously not all of it involves Alex, but you do get to see him being delightful in visual as well as audio form.

Also the RQG season recaps are charming because everyone is hilarious.

[kindkit]

Ooh, I'd forgotten about the Gaming and Giving things. (A few months ago I was like, "Why would anybody watch that?" Now I know. And actually not just because of Alex; it'll be fun to see the various RQG folks having fun.)

Glad to know that the recaps are worth listening to, too. I hadn't bothered because I binged the episodes and didn't need reminding. But my sheer affection for Alex, Lydia, Bryn, Helen, and Ben has become such that I don't care anymore if there's nothing new in the game itself.

I think RQG has become a comforting thing for me amidst all the awfulness. Even when what's happening in the game is pretty awful, the laughter and friendship among the players makes me happy.

[rydra_wong]

And actually not just because of Alex; it'll be fun to see the various RQG folks having fun.

They're all willing to be completely ridiculous and they seem to be having a great time together, and it's incredibly charming.

Helpful index to the 2018 one: https://naomiherne.tumblr.com/post/189496786016/a-lot-of-new-people-got-into-tma-this-year-and-are

The Honey Heist and Billionaire Banshee games are amazing.

I think RQG has become a comforting thing for me amidst all the awfulness. Even when what's happening in the game is pretty awful, the laughter and friendship among the players makes me happy.

Likewise! But honestly at this point Magnus is a comforting thing for me: people who seem like pretty good and delightful people, making really good art! Which gives proper weight to the characters and their relationships, even when it's going to break all our hearts!

[kindkit]

I think for me, what makes RQG more comforting at this moment is . . . that it's not so intense a piece of art as Magnus? They share a lot of themes, and RQG can certainly get dark, but there are also always the players complaining about the dice and bickering with Alex and having fun, and that will go on regardless of what's happening in the story world. (At least, it will go on until the end of this season. *sigh*)

Whereas Magnus is immersive, with the fourth wall firmly intact, and if Martin (for example) dies, Alex isn't going to back with a new character in a couple of weeks. It's all "real" and heartbreaking. I love it and I'm so glad it exists, but for me it's not comforting in quite the same way.

Speaking of which, have you seen the title for 164? I feel so sorry for Anil and everyone else at Rusty Quill having to manage the whole "this is accidentally way more real than we meant it to be" thing. (And RQG is exploring some of the same issues right now! The timing is incredibly unlucky.)