These Flimsy Rituals

Back in Ninut we had a tradition. Every day, as the sun dipped down behind the horizon, sunk into the green-shimmer deserts to the west, we would all stop whatever we were doing. Each of us would remove our veils and turn to watch the sun’s collapse.

For many, it was a chance to talk, to share the trials of the day. It was a signal to relax, to drop tools and let muscles loosen.

Others watched in silence. They would admire the sunbright sky and all the hues of the earth, which had been denied for so long by linen and cloth.


These Flimsy Rituals is a narrative-first podcast, telling small stories in big worlds. We’re currently on our first season, Tiding – telling the story of a group of villagers, displaced from their homes, trying to survive indifferent landscapes. On their journey they’ll face strange colossi, wild spirits and an infant god.

I am the show’s host and GM, as well as being part of the production team. My work has included creating the world of Tiding and the rules system we use to tell our stories, alongside organising recording and helping edit the show.

We worked together to create a unique setting. A world filled with the ancient remnants – gigantic beings that shape the landscapes around them. A remnant of grief might bring tears to the eyes of everyone within a hundred miles; the meadows in the territory of a remnant of repetition might be filled with endless riffs on a single flower.