Hello, Alex!

I'm new-ish to the TMA universe, so I apologize if you've answered this one twenty times already.

I was recently re-listening to Ep. 118 The Masquerade, and I wondered if you would talk a bit about how you approach directing scenes in which you're also performing, especially really visceral ones like the one between Elias and Martin?

Thank you!

It’s quite annoying really. it’s easier these days since I have more help so producers and editors can call me up on stuff. Mostly it was just a case of going by feel. If it felt wrong then I need to figure out if it was me or someone else and go from there. Truthfully though I never really developed a system beyond “really pay attention” which isn’t great advice really.

Sir boss man, Alexander J Newall.

I've been stuck on tma/tmp for the past however long now.

I just saw a post of yours mentioning fluff.

Is there a place for us(magnusiners[I will never use this term again,]) to like submit stuff for that? Or do you just go search around for that kind of stuff?

I think you misunderstand. For Season 1 Jonny has been forced to write a fluff episode himself. I am writing the “what if” episode.

That said, whilst it’s always nice to hear how people engage with our work we don’t have any formal method for taking submissions for stuff such as this.

Is there ever a possibility for your/rusty quill’s work to be adapted into different mediums, or is it a hard “no, we won’t be doing this”?

I mean sure there is a possibility but it’s much harder than you think and ultimately isn’t really up to me. When adapting to a new medium it’s on the people already in that medium to open the door for you. It’s nigh impossible to do without someone giving you a helping hand. We’ll keep trying though because we think it would be cool but I wouldn’t hold your breath or anything.

Feel free to ignore if this counts as "questions about canon" but can you play Dune on Mr. Ceiling?

Only doom I am afraid.

Hey Alex! I was watching some of the bts in the rusty bits and came across the timelapse of you guys setting up the studio. I know it was a wile ago now but has this/will this ever be realeased in a full version? You mentioned at the beggining talking through how you set up a studio and the tech involved. As someone looking to go into the recording industry i think seeing the process would be really interesting.

I honestly don’t remember if there is any more to show… I know that I recorded a tour but no idea what happened to the footage (I thought it was already released).

As with most of these things, I’m hoping to make a guide at some point but it’ll probably be a long time as it’s not a high priority due to other work.

Have you ever watched Game Changer or other Dropout stuff? and if so did you like it? (because I personally like to imagine that you would be absolutely hilarious on Game Changer with all the chaos gremlin energy you've got going on)

Lol, so I have a minor goal of being on with with Brennan Lee Mulligan. I think we have similar energies when provoked and I don’t know if it would be an alliance or a war but it would be fun either way. If you have their number do feel free to let them know I am 100% in!

Which TMA avatar do you think you could beat in a fight and which one would you never under no circumstances want to ever fight

I reckon I can take Callum Brodie as he appeared in Archives. (If he grew up though I am screwed!). (Also I am aware that beating up a child isn’t great PR but since you asked.)

I would never want to fight any of them though. That’s sort of the point.

I know you probably can’t answer because of spoilers, but is there any chance you could confirm we don’t hear any harm done to children in Protocol? Jack’s introduction has set me a bit on edge, things happening to kids is a huge trigger for me.

Happy to answer this one. We are following the same rules as Archives, if you are introduced to an animal or child as a character, (basically if they are named) they will be all right in the end. They may encounter peril but will not be harmed. (see ep 19 as an example).

Have you ever given any thought to the “what does John collect in his free time” question? I’ve heard chess pieces, stamps, etc., but I was wondering if you had any silly interjections on this topic.

Barbie dolls, perhaps?

John collects scars.

Hi Alex! Really enjoyed episode 20, wondering if the feelings on parasocial relationships were somewhat autobiographical? It’s always an interesting and relevant topic in our world. Thanks ☺️

So that case was actually primarily written by Jonny with me as Editor. The character was always going to be engaging with that side of modern culture and I can’t speak for Jonny but it’s definitely not autobiographical at my end. I’ve said before, I am more afraid of the cruelty of modern fandoms and influencers than I am empowered by it. At best I could maybe argue I have more of an insight than your average joe but that’s not saying much.

hey! so a few months back I've gotten really into tma and tmagp (and I absolutely love it, great work), but there's one "but": I wanted to get my friends into it too, but our first language isn't english. the solution found itself in a face of little group of like 4 people that, for the fun of it, translate both podcasts (I am one of them now)

so my question is: are you okay with such stuff? and what are your thoughts on people translating tma/tmagp into other languages (in our case it's russian)? also we don't claim the work to be ours and leave the credits for original, and we don't get any money from it too.

Glad you like it and thankyou for being respectful and asking! This is a good example of the kind of question best directed to mail@rustyquill.com they will get back to you on stuff like this faster than I ever could.

so two questions, one is serious you have to guess which is which

1. Do you play any mmos and if so why is it final fantasy xiv online and
2. are you and/or any other representatives of RQ going to be at Worldcon this year?

So I don’t play MMOS.

Back in the day I played Runescape then Guild Wars which I enjoyed.

I quit them due to poor impulse control and losing a lot of time to them.

I have tried to go back to them a few times but I bounce off them now. They all feel very grindy to me.

I do however adore Balder’s Gate 3 with friends.

Is TMAGP having a hiatus or something? Because it's friday and ep 21 still hasn't come out yet.

Yes.

Protocol will have a short hiatus every 10 episodes with a longer one between seasons that has bonus content in it. This is to avoid production crunch for the team whilst also giving our other show Neon Inkwell the care and attention it needs.

Afraid I am not in charge of such announcements any more so can’t speak to when and where it has been said.