#i’ve been listening to too much Welcome to Nightvale | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

hillblah · 3 years ago

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Podcast Recommendations:

I just spent nearly 2 hours writing these for a work Teams thread #justpandemicthings. So uh, here you go. If you’re following this blog (why tho?) you might like my vibe, so you might like some of these! Finding categories is hard, so I've mostly lumped podcasts together in small groups by loose connections, or vibes. This is also how I sort my bookshelf after admitting defeat on having a perfectly coherent system. Past me would have been horrified, but I think that's what growth looks like. Some descriptions are all mine, some are copied from the creators. Feel free to read into which ones I copied and which I wrote myself as much as you want.

Fiction:

36 Questions A 3 part musical podcast about a couple on the brink of divorce. The title references the "36 Questions to Fall in Love" (/build intimacy) that can be found here: https://bigthink.com/ideafeed/how-to-fall-in-love-36-questions-and-deep-eye-contact

Alice Isn't Dead Audio diaries of a long road trucker searching for her wife who she thought had died, but Alice Isn't Dead. Really cool sound design and writing from the team behind Welcome to Nightvale. Slight absurdist/ more than slight horror vibes. There's 3 seasons in total that tell a meandering overall story roadtrip. Best listened to while parked in an empty carpark on the edge of town with rain running down the windshield and creating flickering shadows from the streetlights. It took me a few attempts to listen right through the first episode, but I eventually fell in love with the sound/feel/vibe of the podcast. Teaser is here: http://www.nightvalepresents.com/aliceisntdead

The Magnus Archives A horror fiction podcast examining what lurks in the archives of the Magnus Institute, an organisation dedicated to researching the esoteric and the weird. Each episode is presented in the form of a witness statement being read by the newly appointed Head Archivist of the Magnus Institute - London. Over time the stand-alone statements start to form connections, and then an overarching plot. I don't normally enjoy horror, The Magnus Archives is absolutely the exception. Really well told stories with incredible soundscaping. Maybe don't listen right before bed...

Kiwi Podcasts about Sexuality and Gender:

Micro Wave Feminism Micro Wave Feminism is a place for open, inclusive, loving and vulnerable feminist chats. It's all about talking to real people about real sh*t and experiences of femininity and masculinity in this crazy (beautiful) world we live in. Really interesting discussions on feminism through the personal experiences of kiwis. Sporadic episodes as a non-professional labour of love, but boy does it have cozy vibes.

BANG! RNZ's BANG! explores sex, sexuality and relationships over a lifetime, from parents attempting "the talk" with their children, through the fraught teen years, modern dating, long-term relationships, contraception and conception, right up to intimacy in retirement homes. So many people talking about their experiences with all aspects of sex, sexuality, relationships and gender. My personal favourite is the Takātapuia episode from season 2: https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/bang/story/2018651794/bang-season-2-episode-6-takatapui

Let's Get Sexual Let’s Get Sexual is a podcast dedicated to exploring sexuality. It is part of the growing global movement to normalize conversations around sexuality, to embrace its complexity, and highlight how we all have our own sexual journeys. Similar vibes to BANG! But with a more personal approach and more time with each guest. Really interesting conversations with people from all walks of life.

Kiwi Current and Not So Current Events:

Gone by Lunchtime The Spinoff's politics podcast. A good balance of views from the 3 hosts, and the only politics podcast that has made me laugh out loud multiple times.

The Citizen's Handbook Robbie Niccol (White Man Behind a Desk/that guy that I went to school with) partners with RNZ for a video series all about the history of Aotearoa, and the things all citizens need to know about where we are now. There's also a podcast that goes with it, that's a game show? Really the video series is the more important part... But the podcast is a great listen.

Isolation:

The Habitat The true story of six volunteers picked to live on a fake planet. You know those stories that occasionally pop up about people living in isolation with each other to see what happens so we know about the problems and can prepare for space travel? Well this 7 episode podcast follows a group of 6 imitation NASA astronauts stuck with only each other for a year. Something I'm sure the rest of us will never have to experience right?

Our Plague Year Essays and listener messages about Our Plague 'Year'. Some really talented writers pouring emotions out. This was one of my favourite podcasts last year, though some of the episodes hit a little hard. My personal favourite episode (so far) is Trust Ends at the Windshield, featuring Hank Green, Meg Bashwiner, and Erin McKeown. Which talks about the the-show-must-go-on mentality, includes this gem: "We are killing people because we are bored. We are killing people because we are entrenched in a toxic, capitalist society that values money over life.", and was one of the triggers for me writing a 12 minute, spoken word, poetry adjacent, thing, last year.

Doing Stuff:

Cortex CGP Grey (educational youtuber) and Myke Hurley (host of about 50 podcasts) talk about productivity, and how they run their businesses, and education, and the Apple ecosystem, and a whole bunch of other things. Long episodes, and occasionally dated by reference to current events. Definitely not a super condensed productivity podcast, more of a personality / sitting in on a conversation vibe.

Start With This Art is hard, starting is hard, if you want to start somewhere you should start with this. The co-creators of Welcome to Nightvale talk about making things/the artistic process. Every episode ends with 2 assignments, one thing to consume, and one to create.

Building Positive Culture:

Dare To Lead Brené Brown talking with other people about Leadership. Really interesting and inspiring conversations. Top recommendation is the episode with Simon Sinek.

A Bit of Optimism Simon Sinek talking with other people about working together to make a better world. Really interesting and inspiring conversations. Top recommendation is the episode with Brené Brown.

TED Worklife Organizational psychologist Adam Grant takes you inside the minds of some of the world’s most unusual professionals to explore the science of making work not suck. From learning how to love criticism to harnessing the power of frustration, one thing’s for sure: You’ll never see your job the same way again. Pretty new on my feed, but every episode I've listened to so far has been an absolute hit!

Interesting Stories/People:

TED Radio Hour TED talks, collated into similar subjects with extra stuff pulled out interview style. Good to search through the archives to find areas you're interested in, or just pick a random episode and dive in!

99% Invisible - 10,000 Years [person from work who I’m too lazy to edit out a reference to] has already recommended the podcast, but I want to throw in my favourite episode. It's about the challenge of trying to mark nuclear waste sites in a way that will last 10,000 years (for reference 10,000 years ago stone tools were a pretty neat invention) and is absolutely fascinating. https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/ten-thousand-years/

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demontownclowns · 3 years ago

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for wren: 17 + 15. for lucille (beloved): 11 + 22 and for ace ! 19. also 3 for all of them

KISSING U TYSM JORDY <333 /p

Wren:

3. What's your favorite childhood memory?

"My 8th birthday. The weather was so nice, and me and Laurel were running around in the woods, playing tag, if I remember right. He always took the day off of school to come and play with me, not that he ever really cared about school. We never really gave each other gifts on birthdays, but that time, he gave me his favorite jacket. At the time I was ecstatic, and he said 'Now no matter where you go, you'll always remember me!'.

"...it kinda stings looking back, but he was definitely right. I still wear that old thing, afterall."

15. Do you play any instruments? Which ones? How long have you been playing?

"If you tell any of the others, I'll never forgive you, but... I do like to sing. It calms me down, when I'm travelling."

17. What makes you laugh?

"Teasing Varsity. He acts all big and cocky, but he's a dumbass, when it comes down to it. And, well, Lucille is rather funny too, I suppose.."

Lucille:

3. What's your favorite childhood memory?

"hmmmm, that's a tough one! Ah- I remember now! Me and a few friends from school all went to the fair together. Hehehe, it really was a lot of fun, I've always loved going on rollercoasters! I wonder if Wren and Robin would go on one with me..."

11. What is your favorite type of media (TV, movie, books, etc)? Name some specific favorites (which shows, movies, books, etc do you like)!

"I don't have tooo much time to watch things, but I read a whole lot! Mostly nonfiction stuff about charms and spells, but they're all reallly interesting, I promise."

"Though, I do like to listen to podcasts, welcome to nightvale is my favorite! Mystery and horror novels are fun too though... Anything creepy will normally do the trick for me!"

22. What’s the easiest way to flirt with you?

"Ah- I can't say I've ever really, well, c-considered that before... Just having someone to listen to me is nice- haha, if someone gave me a compliment, or a gift, I'd probably explode with happiness. But it's kinda hard to find people I can trust, y'know?"

"Plus, I'm much too busy with work to even think about stuff like that.. it's really not important."

Ace:

3: What's your favorite childhood memory?

"Haha, there's nothing to talk about. My childhood wasn't anything interesting, believe me."

19: What makes you sad?

"Aww, are you concerned about little ol' me? Well, if you must know, losing a good bet is always so terribly dull, it bores me to tears! Cheaters are sad too- their disrespect for the art of gambling is tragic."

"Not entertaining my customers is also a horrible affair, I want everyone to have a delightful time when they visit."

Pheonix:

3: What's your favorite childhood memory?

"I rather enjoyed playing with other kids in the woods by the castle, I suppose? Quite a boring thing, really, but that's all I can think of- my childhood was a rather dull affair. It was fun while it lasted, but I have more important things to do now."

Robin

3: What's your favorite childhood memory?

"Oh, I remember this one! It was the first time I managed to start as a pitcher, and because we were so little, it was a walk in the park. The team got ice cream afterwards. My coach at the time, I remember she was really, really proud of me. And the team thought I was the coolest gi- guy ever! Hahaha, good times."

#wren #lucille #miss ace #pheonix #robin #THAT WAS REALLY FUN TO DO <33 TYSM FOR THE ASK JESTIE #ask game

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smallmediumproblems · 5 years ago

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what podcasts have you listened to? i wanna get in on the crossover ask game fun :DD

Anon you are too nice to me :D If anyone missed the original post, a much-appreciated band of anons (or maybe the same one, I am too lazy to check ip’s lol) have been keeping alive an ask game where someone sends me a character and a podcast they’re not from, and I’ll write about how/what they’d do in the other podcast!

I’m gonna go in alphabetical order because Spotify be like that, here goes

*deep breath*,

The Adventure Zone (super behind on Graduation rip me)

Alice Isn’t Dead (although I remember exactly 0 of season 3)

Archive 81

Arden

The Black Tapes

Blackwood

The Bridge

The Bright Sessions

Death by Dying

EOS 10 (halfway through season 2)

The Far Meridian (Most of it)

Girl in Space

The Hotel

How I Died

I Am In Eskew

LifeAfter

Limetown

The Magnus Archives

Midnight Radio

Our Fair City

Penumbra Podcast (just up til Promised Land)

Rusty Quill Gaming

SCP: Find Us Alive

Stellar Firma

The Strange Case of the Starship Iris

The Underwood Collection

Welcome to Nightvale (bruhhh I’m VERY behind)

The White Vault (first storyline, two seasons)

Within the Wires (up through season 3)

Wolf 359

I’ve got a nice thick to-listen stack that I’ll was going to put under the Read More, but I keep forgetting how ask formatting works, thank you Tumblr. Always looking for recommendations, so if it’s not on here, I probably haven’t heard of it and would like to!

Going to listen to someday: Caravan, Copperheart, Cybernautica, Dreamboy, Mission to Zyxx, Orphans, Outliers, SAYER, Under the Shroud, Violet Beach, and Zoo. I keep trying to listen to SAYER, but I love the guy’s voice and he keeps putting me to sleep, I’ve only gotten through the first season.

#podcasts #crossover ask game #ask game #fanfiction #BRUH I almost forgot to put w359 on there!!!#it was so far down the list alphabetically

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mostlysignssomeportents · 5 years ago

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Pluralistic: 21 Mar 2020 (Cool Tools, scientists predict cooperation, Don't Look for the Helpers, after the crisis, a people's bailout, judge vs unicorns, Marc Davis's Haunted Mansion)

Today's links

My appearance on Cool Tools: My favorite gadgets.

UK emergency science panel predicts mass altruism: Reality has a well-known collectivist bias.

Don't Look for the Helpers: The text version of my essay for the new Nightvale anxiety podcast.

After the crisis, a program for transformative change: Pandemic reveals the systems' failures, and what to do about them.

Pandemic stimulus, realpolitik edition: Stephanie Kelton and AOC on a people's bailout.

Beautiful judicial snark: "No, your unicorn trademark is not an emergency."

Marc Davis's Haunted Mansion: What if Marc Davis had sole control over the ride's design?

This day in history: 2005, 2010, 2015, 2019

Colophon: Recent publications, current writing projects, upcoming appearances, current reading

My appearance on Cool Tools (permalink)

This week, I appear on the Cool Tools podcast to discuss my favorite, most indispensible gadgets and services and why I love them.

https://kk.org/cooltools/cory-doctorow-science-fiction-author/

My top picks were my Crkt Snap-Lock knife – a one-handed-opening, lightweight, super versatile pocket knife that I carry everywhere.

https://www.crkt.com/snap-lock.html

I also chose my Chinese OEM underwater MP3 player. I swim every day for my chronic pain maintenance and this is how I make it bearable, getting through 1-2 audiobooks/month.

https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00GWV6GUO/cooltoolsshow-20

My third choice was Libro.fm, the DRM-free, indie-bookseller friendly way to listen to audiobooks. Basically the same catalog as Audible, at the same price, the only difference being that buying from them supports neighborhood booksellers, not Amazon.

It was a really fun! @Frauenfelder and @kevin2kelly are super smart about gadgets.

Here's the MP3:

http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/7810/13374488/779800513-cool-tools-218-cory-doctorow.mp3

UK emergency science panel predicts mass altruism (permalink)

SAGE is the UK Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies. This is their hour to shine.

They have just published a spectacular, plain-language set of technical reports on the pandemic.

https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies-sage-coronavirus-covid-19-response

This is the most interesting: "on risk of public disorder."

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/873736/08-spi-b-return-on-risk-of-public-disorder.pdf

The expert panel affirms the conclusions of Rebecca Solnit in her indispensable book "A Paradise Built in Hell," a closely researched history of disasters that finds that they are the moment in which people spring to the aid of their neighbors.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/10/05/a-paradise-built-in-hell

SAGE's expert panel on disasters: "large scale rioting is unlikely. It is rarely seen in these circumstances. Acts of altruism will predominate, and HMG could readily promote and guide these."

"Where public disorder occurs, it is usually triggered by perceptions about the Government's response, rather than the nature of the epidemic. A perception that Government response strategies are not effective in looking after the public may lead to an increase in tensions."

"Promote a sense of collectivism: All messaging should reinforce a sense of community, that 'we are all in this together.'"

For decades, Britain has been poisoned by Margaret Thatcher's sociopathic maxim, "There is no such thing as society."

It turns out that reality (and pandemics) has a well-known collectivist bias.

Don't Look for the Helpers (permalink)

I wrote a short essay about how I'm coping with The Current Situation for Our Plague Year, a new podcast from Joseph Fink of Welcome to Nightvale, called "Don't Look for the Helpers".

https://pluralistic.net/2020/03/17/pluralistic-17-mar-2020/#ourplagueyear

Today, PM Press published the essay in a new digital collection, "All We Have Is Each Other."

https://www.pmpress.org/blog/category/blog/all-we-have-is-each-other/

"Assuming things will break down does not make you a dystopian. Engineers who design systems on the assumption that nothing could go wrong aren't utopians, they're idiots who kill people. 'Nothing could go wrong' is why there weren't enough lifeboats on the fucking Titanic."

"Every disaster ends with mutual aid. By definition. That's the only way a disaster can end: with people pulling together. If there's one lesson to take from Mad Max, it's that pulling apart only deepens the crisis, and the it will not end until we pull together."

"I've been telling stories of humanity rising to crisis for decades. Now I'm telling them to myself. I hope you'll keep that story in mind today, as plutocrats are seeking to weaponize narratives to turn our crisis into a self-serving catastrophe."

https://www.pmpress.org/blog/2020/03/19/dont-look-for-the-helpers-by-cory-doctorow/

After the crisis, a program for transformative change (permalink)

The Current Situation has revealed deep cracks in our system: replacing public transit with gig economy drivers who don't get health care or sick leave; the gig economy itself; the lethal inadequacy of private-sector broadband and private-sector health-care, and beyond.

The fact that we can simply abolish data-caps (without networks falling over) and the liquid ban (without planes blowing up) reveals that these supposed existential threats were, in fact, arbitrary, authoritarian, rent-seeking bullshit.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/03/14/masque-of-the-red-death/#security-theater

The people who've spent 40 years convincing us that we're just not free-marketing hard enough continue to insist that all of these problems are merely the result of not having fully dismantled the state (so much for "state capacity libertarianism"):

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-03-20/coronavirus-killed-the-progressive-left

They're licking their chops for a 2008-style reboot: eviscerating public services, immiserating workers, fattening plutes and dissolving regulatory safeguards.

It's a playbook developed by Milton Friedman: the scheme to have "ideas lying around" when crisis strikes.

But as Naomi Klein reminds us, the Shock Doctrine cuts both ways. The manifest failures of plutocracy in the Great Depression got us the New Deal and the "30 Glorious Years" of shared prosperity and growth.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/03/17/pluralistic-17-mar-2020/#disaster-socialism

We haven't been idle since 2008. We have "ideas lying around" too. Ideas for a just and resilient society that reorients human life around sustainable and just practices. Motherboard's editorial staff gives us a manifesto for that society, so that this crisis doesn't go to waste:

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/wxekvw/the-world-after-coronavirus-healthcare-labor-climate-internet

Free and universal healthcare ("healthcare is a basic human right" -B. Sanders)

Abolish ICE and prisons ("ICE is now a public health hazard")

Protect and empower labor ("Without these protections, everyone's safety and health is put at risk")

A healthier climate ("If the 2008-09 financial crash is any indicator, carbon could shoot right back up as soon as the crisis is over")

Fast, accessible broadband ("Community owned/operated broadband networks, long demonized and even prohibited by law are looking better than ever")

Smash the surveillance state ("This pandemic mustn't be used to infringe on the civil liberties and privacy of millions")

Billionaire wealth ("They're sending people to work while jetting off to luxurious doomsday bunkers, getting Covid-19 tests while normal people can't, and also singing 'Imagine' from bucolic getaways.")

Public transit that works ("Congress is poised to prioritize bailing out airlines and the cruise industry before it takes a look at public transit")

The right to repair ("Right-to-repair has become a matter of life and death.")

Science for the people ("We were caught flat-footed by a fixation on 'innovation' and lack of public options")

The future will not be like the past. Whether it is worse or better is our choice to make. It is in our (well-scrubbed) hands.

(Image: Jolove55, CC BY)

Pandemic stimulus, realpolitik edition (permalink)

I've been thinking a lot about what a covid stimulus package could and should look like, and what the possible failure modes and transformative changes could be. Obviously, there's real risk of inflation if handled wrong, because production has halted, so more money could end up chasing fewer goods. That gets ugly quick.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/03/18/diy-tp/#covid-stimulus

Then there's the risk that we just infuse trillions of no-strings-attached dollars into the finance sector, who use it to make our society even more brittle and unstable by hollowing out reeling companies and grinding down brutalized workers.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/03/19/gb-whatsapp/#peoples-bailout

Writing about this stuff in public makes a lot of Twitter people with "investor" in their bios very, very angry. They want giant bailouts for the companies they own stocks in, not transformative change. They use the neolib tactic of throwing out a lot of jargon to instil a sense of your technical illiteracy. Complexity is a con-artist's go-to tactic, after all – it's why proposition bets are so complicated, so you can't do the odds in your head (see also: craps tables).

But not every economist believes that sociopathy is pareto optimal. Leading lights like Stephanie Kelton, the mother of Modern Monetary Theory, who can go toe-to-toe with oligarch-apologists from the Chicago School, explaining how public debt really works.

Kelton and AOC appeared on this week's Deconstructed podcast with Mehdi Hasan to discuss the true scale of the bailout that will be needed (far more than $1T) to get the economy working again. That number can come down (by lowering working peoples' outgoings through rent/mortgage/student loan holidays, etc). But the lesson of 2008 is that to be credible, stimulus must be transparent and aimed at the public good, not the donor-class.

https://theintercept.com/2020/03/20/deconstructed-podcast-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-coronavirus-economy/

https://dcs.megaphone.fm/FLM7803427023.mp3

Otherwise, Congress risks having its hands tied: it might inject an inadequate and corrupt stimulus that benefits its cronies, then be unable to follow that on with a people's bailout that would help us all.

AOC: "Look at this kind of trash pile of legislation the Republicans have just introduced. I've never seen such a thing in my life of, we're going to give the neediest people less. And we're going to give people who are you know, need help but don't need as much help more."

Kelton: "What people mean when they say, you know, oh, Senator Sanders, you want Medicare for All or you want to make public colleges and universities tuition free, you want to cancel student debt, how are you going to pay for it? Where is the money going to come from? What that means in beltway speak is how are you going to offset all of that spending with new revenue from somewhere else, or by spending less in defense or some other category, the budget?"

"When you do a piece of legislation that's 'paid for,' it means you're putting the 50 billion in and it goes to some parts of the economy, and you're taking 50 billion out of some other parts of the economy so that you're not deficit spending."

"We've been so badly educated to respond to deficits as something that's fiscally irresponsible, reckless. It isn't. The government is committing to dropping dollars into the economy without ripping them right back out again. It's exactly what we want them to do right now."

Kelton's work on Modern Monetary Theory is transformative. Her lectures present both a powerful descriptive account of how money works in the economy and a prescriptive account of how we can use that knowledge to make a better, more prosperous world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WS9nP-BKa3M

She has a new book about this coming in June, The Deficit Myth. This would be a good time to pre-order it. These are scary times for writers with books about to come out (signed, I have three new books out in 2020).

https://stephaniekelton.com/book/

Beautiful judicial snark (permalink)

As Ken "Popehat" White is fond of reminding us, no one snarks quite like a federal judge. And despite being a Trump appointee, Steven C Seeger manages to rip off a couple zingers in this ruling.

http://loweringthebar.net/2020/03/unicorn-case-not-an-emergency.htm

At issue: Art Ask Agency is upset that someone is counterfeiting their unicorn-logo merch, such as this unicorn-scented candle:

https://artaskagency.com/our-licenses/anne-stokes/unicorn-candle/

But Illinois is in covid lockdown, so its case against a bunch of John Doe (alleged) counterfeiters is on hold. Their lawyer has sent a string of motions to the court asking for an emergency hearing so they can proceed, despite the fact that the court clerks are operating on reduced staff and only dealing with matters of the utmost urgency.

The judge is Not Impressed: "At worst, Defendant might sell a few more counterfeit products in the meantime. But Plaintiff makes no showing about anticipated loss of sales. One wonders if fake fantasy products are experiencing brisk sales at the moment."

The judge takes notice of the time a telephonic hearing would consume, "especially given the girth of the Plaintiff's filings."

"Plaintiff argues that it will suffer an 'irreparable injury' if this court does not put a stop to the infringing unicorns and knock-off elves."

"The world is facing a real emergency. Plaintiff is not."

(Image: Karen Neoh, CC BY)

Marc Davis's Haunted Mansion (permalink)

Along with Passport to Dreams Old and New, the Long Forgotten Blog is the best source of information on the history, design, and evolution of Disney theme-parks.

https://passport2dreams.blogspot.com/

But Long Forgotten focuses on a single ride, the glorious, brilliant Haunted Mansion.

The history of the Haunted Mansion was completely upended in late 2019, when Christopher Merritt published his "Marc Davis in His Own Words," a two-volume compendium of journals and interviews with the legendary Imagineer, who was Merritt's mentor.

https://books.disney.com/book/marc-davis-in-his-own-words/

This is probably the best book of Disney/theme-park history ever published, and that's no surprise, as Merritt has already written the definitive history of Knott's Berry Farm:

https://www.angelcitypress.com/collections/authors-christopher-merritt

And Pacific Ocean Park:

https://www.yesterland.com/pacificoceanpark.html

Merritt is an Imagineer, an artist, and a historian, who has direct, lifelong connections with the original Imagineering team. He has unparalleled access, inside knowledge and perspective. So yeah, that is a fucking great book.

Marc Davis was the best character designer in the original Imagineer cohort: he created the Country Bears, the Pirates, and the Haunted Mansion ghosts. He was a spectacular visual gag master, too. And he was one of the (many) legendary Imagineers who had a hand in designing the Haunted Mansion. That ride had so many different iterations, drafts, plans and schemes, and the final product is so wonderful in part because of their remnants.

But Davis actually designed a full-on Haunted Mansion attraction, from start to finish, and those plans are kicking around. Based on those, Long Forgotten has created a narrative account of what it would be like to tour "Marc Davis's Haunted Mansion."

https://longforgottenhauntedmansion.blogspot.com/2020/03/marc-daviss-haunted-mansion.htm

It's…interesting. Davis had some really fun ideas like meeting up with a talking bust (or raven).

And there are great gags (Davis designed the "three-part" stretching portraits, after all).

I mean. this would have been so freaking boss.

But the real meat is something called "The Most Dangerous Ghost":

"The final picture is perhaps behind black drapes which raise as the ghost host calls out attention to it. As the drapes part we see a painting that has everything in it except a figure. There is perhaps a vague image where the figure should be. The ghost host reacts in a frightened manner. He explains that this is terrible because this is the most dangerous ghost in the mansion. When he climbs out of his picture he mingles with the guests until he has turned one of them into a ghost. He describes the ghost's appearance and its omnipotent powers. He suggests again that everyone should stay in a tight group; this evil ghost loves to pick off stragglers. He suggests that the group be wary of sliding panels, gusts of cold air and etc."

Long Forgotten: "The MDG character undercuts the intellectually sloppy notion that all Davis cared about was making the HM funny."

LF goes on to make a good case that Davis wanted to incorporate many of Rolly Crump's gorgeous "Museum of the Weird" designs into his Mansion.

Davis's seance room seems to flirt with MDG some more: "The presence of the villain ghost makes itself felt and these older retired ghosts are frightened. Whatever we have used to indicate the nearness of the villain ghost would be repeated here."

Davis once planned for a Mansion filled with "working class ghosts" (carpenters, soldiers, boxers, etc). The only ones that survived were the coachmen in the graveyard sequence.

And his bride sequence was very explicit about wedding-night murders, culminating with MDG manifesting amid the guests: "He starts a wild mocking laugh. It clouds up outside. The curtains blow inward. It starts to rain along with thunder and lightning. "Outside we see a figure take form and it moves into the room. The rain comes into the room with the figure and a pool of water forms around its feet."

This is gorgeously scary, but as Long Forgotten points out, it has little re-play value (similar to Tomororwland's Alien Encounter): "The gag about the Ghost Host revealing himself as the Most Dangerous Ghost has the obvious disadvantage that it can surprise you only once. Pretty soon everyone knows the 'secret,' and as its usefulness as a genuine shock or scare tactic fades its status as pure camp inevitably increases."

That all said, "We learn what we should already know but sometimes forget: Marc Davis was never an imperious, one-man show. He was a team player. He interacted creatively with the work already done by previous Imagineers, displaying in this outline nothing but respect for what was good in what they had done."

This day in history (permalink)

#15yrsago Disney busts amateur Disneyland tour guide https://web.archive.org/web/20050323133504/http://jimhillmedia.com/mb/articles/showarticle.php?ID=1356

#10yrsago James Randi is gay http://archive.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/914-how-to-say-it.html

#5yrsago Windows 10 announcement: certified hardware can lock out competing OSes https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/03/windows-10-to-make-the-secure-boot-alt-os-lock-out-a-reality/

#1yrago Two arrested for hiding cameras in motel rooms and charging for access to livestreams https://edition.cnn.com/2019/03/20/asia/south-korea-hotel-spy-cam-intl/index.html

Colophon (permalink)

Today's top sources: Ok børge (https://twitter.com/forteller), Beyond the Beyond (http://www.wired.com/category/beyond_the_beyond/).

Currently writing: I've just finished rewrites on a short story, "The Canadian Miracle," for MIT Tech Review. It's a story set in the world of my next novel, "The Lost Cause," a post-GND novel about truth and reconciliation. I've also just completed "Baby Twitter," a piece of design fiction also set in The Lost Cause's prehistory, for a British think-tank. I'm getting geared up to start work on the novel next.

Currently reading: Just started Lauren Beukes's forthcoming Afterland: it's Y the Last Man plus plus, and two chapters in, it's amazeballs. Last month, I finished Andrea Bernstein's "American Oligarchs"; it's a magnificent history of the Kushner and Trump families, showing how they cheated, stole and lied their way into power. I'm getting really into Anna Weiner's memoir about tech, "Uncanny Valley." I just loaded Matt Stoller's "Goliath" onto my underwater MP3 player and I'm listening to it as I swim laps.

Latest podcast: The Masque of the Red Death and Punch Brothers Punch https://craphound.com/podcast/2020/03/16/the-masque-of-the-red-death-and-punch-brothers-punch/

Upcoming books: "Poesy the Monster Slayer" (Jul 2020), a picture book about monsters, bedtime, gender, and kicking ass. Pre-order here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781626723627?utm_source=socialmedia&utm_medium=socialpost&utm_term=na-poesycorypreorder&utm_content=na-preorder-buynow&utm_campaign=9781626723627

(we're having a launch for it in Burbank on July 11 at Dark Delicacies and you can get me AND Poesy to sign it and Dark Del will ship it to the monster kids in your life in time for the release date).

"Attack Surface": The third Little Brother book, Oct 20, 2020. https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250757531

"Little Brother/Homeland": A reissue omnibus edition with a new introduction by Edward Snowden: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250774583

#pluralistic

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lunerbean · 5 years ago

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I used magick to get my way and the consequences were devastating

Magick has been a large part of my life for many years, and I've always cared greatly about being careful with it. I set my intentions. I cleared my mind. I took care and pride in my craft.

But sometimes, we get desprite. Sometimes, we act without thinking. Sometimes... we fail to be careful.

I've been struggling with money for some time now. I've been scared and I was even living in my car for awhile. But even then, I made sure not to use my power in a way that could be dangerous to myself or others. On Sunday of this week, I panicked. I did a haphazard spell to bring me a job - any job - that would fix my immediate concerns about money. On Monday morning of this week, I received a phone call from a voice that immediately threw my intuition into a tailspin. My inner voice screamed about the red flags, I even told my partner how much this person on the phone reminded me of Kevin from Welcome to Nightvale. My gut knew better. My heart told me to run. My intuition flooded my mind with warning images of what was to come if I accepted the interview.

But I had done a spell for this. My magick had invited this opportunity to me. I couldn't decline.

And then, before the interview, I panicked for a second time. And I made a sigil on my wrist, where no one else could see it. And it said success, with no other stipulations. The interview was a success and they invited me back the next day.

I woke up early and feeling extremely wary. I continued to ignore my instincts and my visions. I went to the office and as I sat at a table with a dozen other potential candidates, I panicked again. And I made another sigil on my wrist in the same manner as the first. Quick, careless, & with no stipulations aside from the word energy. Because my visions and my intuition were waring me down and draining me and I blamed it on lack of sleep.

The sigil gave me energy but it wasn't what I wanted. It was a nervous, shaking energy that only put my mind into yet another tailspin.

I got the job and everything inside me told me to run. Even my fellow recruits told me the company made them feel uncomfortable and confused, like they were being lied to.

When the job started, all of the warnings I had been given from the universe were thrust into my head. I can't say exactly what we were doing, due to the fact they made me sign a nondisclosure agreement, but what I can say is this.

The people were frauds. Everyone had a fake, cheery, "Kevin from Welcome to Nightvale" persona that they had perfected over the years. The things this company was making me do went strongly against my morals and personal beliefs. They wanted me to lie to everyone, to manipulate them, to treat other people like disposable, empty checks to get the company what they wanted. And what was really fucked, was that their target audience was 50-65 year olds. A company selling a product that was technologically based and they played on the elderly peoples ignorance to the technological world to manipulate them.

Two of my fellow recruits walked out within an hour because they just couldn't treat people the way this company wanted them to. When I joined them, I found the super-sweet-&-friendly recruiter I had talked to before using those same tactics they taught the employees to try and manipulate the other two recruits who were trying to leave. And he immediately tried to do the same to me when I explained that the company went against my morals and I felt dirty doing what they asked me to do. I started having an anxiety attack and this Kevin from Welcome to Nightvale character broke. His eyes twitched and for the first time, I got a glimpse into his soul - who he really was and not just who he pretended to be for the company. And he said okay. And I left. And I cried a lot and called my best friend and cried on the bus and in the shower and I hugged my partner and cried on them, too.

It's okay to use magick to get what you want. It's okay to use magick.

I just beg you to be careful.

Thank you for listening to my story.

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self-ship-love · 5 years ago

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I hate to annoy you, but can I request something? Maybe one with a male f/o who runs your standard radio station and reports on news normally, and a male s/i who also has a station, except it's more bizzare (think welcome to nightvale, if you've ever listened) and they listen to each other's shows when they can and low-key flirt on air sometimes? Again, sorry to bother you! ('^w^)

Helllooo,

Absolutely, and never worry about bothering me because I am definitely not annoyed. Sorry, this took a few days, my creative juices failed on me for this one but I have finally come up with something. Hope you enjoy 💖 P.S: thank you for telling me about welcome to night vale, I’m listening to it as I write, so helpful.

“Alright, that’s a wrap guys, I hope you all stay tuned for tomorrow’s podcast. In the meantime, enjoy these sounds that we have compiled together.” The radio host announced over the speaker. It was 10 pm and definitely time to head home, though he really did not feel like leaving just yet. Once the luminescent sign switched to ‘off-air’ he poured himself some black coffee and tuned into another radio station.

“ .. next up.. a creepypasta story called, ‘I don’t experience Thursdays.’ “ said the man on the radio station. This particular station was the host’s favourite to listen to late at night. There were always bizarre and creepy stories shared, some from the listeners, some from the host himself or ones they had found on Reddit. He liked how different the station was, despite the strangeness of it and the fact that some nights he was too freaked out to sleep.

But half of the reason might also be because of the station’s host. They had met briefly at a radio convention, his face was just as soothing as his voice and he was just as cool off-air as he was on. Soon, the host’s voice returned to the airwaves and announced the start of the story. The host listening slurped a mouthful of coffee and leaned back in his chair, thinking that the other man would do well making audible books or some sort of ASMR. He closed his eyes and pictured every graphic image of the story, feeling goosebumps rise on his arms and legs as usual. The story was rather chilling .. chilling but odd.

“.. I hope you liked that creepypasta, you can find more on Reddit... or you could just tune into the station every night, where we’ll be live from 8 pm to 6 am.” The man’s voice boomed, the loudest it would ever be on the show. The other host poured another cup and leaned closer to the radio, wishing he could see inside so he could glimpse his face.

“Before I talk about the next thing, I just want to do a quick shout out,” he informed. The other host smiled and wondered who the lucky person could be.

“Shout out to Fred from Worldwide news!”

The other host almost choked on his coffee. That was his name and his station!

“I’ve only met Fred once but man ... I listen to him almost every day. What a guy, what a station. So, Fred, I hope you’re listening ... otherwise, this would be an embarrassing situation ... “

Fred’s stomach twisted into knots. He felt all kinds of emotions, embarrassment, excitement, surprise ... boy was he surprised. The next day, he decided to give back to the other host and give him a shout out too. He was shaky and anxious as he fumbled with certain dials in front of him, his voice even cracked and wavered with every sentence. Is the other host even tuned in? He gave it a shot.

“Moving on from the afternoon news, I would like to do something that we don’t usually do. So, I was listening to my favourite radio show last night after wrapping up ... and this particular guy mentioned our show so I want t give him a shout out too. Thank you, Tanner, you have no idea how much that meant to me. Your stories are cue bad language, fucking brilliant. I mean, who needs sleep anyway, right?”

Tanner who was indeed listening thought that was incredible and thanked Fred on his own show later that night. Back and forth they mentioned one another on their shows, it became a playful sort of thing, a bit of banter and flirtation. The listeners noticed this and voiced their opinions, somebody called in on Tanner’s show one night and what they said burned Fred’s ears as if he didn’t notice anything odd about their behaviour.

“Can I just say that I ship you and Fred. Like majorly. I’ve never been so hopeful for two people before. I will go down with this ship if I have to.”

Tanner cracked a nervous laugh and squirted water into his mouth from his bottle. “Um .. well.. I don’t mind if you ship us. Hell, even I ship us and I’m sure Fred does too.”

Fred, who had been biting his lip during the conversation, tasted blood on his tongue and reached for his phone. He had an idea, what if they were to one-up their careers and collaborate together? the listeners would probably go bat-shit crazy for that. They’d gained quite a number of new listeners and fans over the space of three weeks. All because of their flirtatious banter and mentions on each other’s shows.

“Oh! speak of the devil,” Tanner cried as Fred’s number came through. “Guys it’s Fred! my buddy!”

“Hello Tanner, my man.” Fred laughed. “I just wanted to add on the whole ship thing..”

“Are you going to invite me on a date?” Tanner interrupted with a cheeky remark. Fred was relieved Tanner couldn’t see his face turn scarlet, he was sure that would deserve a snide comment.

“You wish. I just wanted to offer an idea, which I’m sure the listeners would be excited about.”

“Go on,” said Tanner with interest.

“What are your thoughts on a collab between me and you?”

“Like a podcast collab?”

Fred cleared his throat and scratched away his nervous butterflies that had since filled his stomach. “Yeah, why not?”

“Ooh, I like this. Let’s see what the listeners think. Text or call in your opinions on this idea. We could do a vote, perhaps.”

The lines were hot after that. It seemed like the whole world was texting and calling in their approval. There was absolutely no negative or hateful comments. The idea was a success. In the meantime, Fred just had to learn to work with his nerves around Tanner.

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phantom-does-a-thing · 5 years ago

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10 question tag

Ahhh @phantom-stargazer thank you so much for tagging me <3333.

So the rules: answer 10 questions and ask 10 questions, then tag from friends.

1) What’s the most annoying/frustrating thing happened recently while writing? Plot hole? Flat character? Got very stuck on some scene/chapter?

I’d have to say that, recently would be having to try to figure out what I want to do with my story and how I’m going to go about doing it, how much I’m going to change and keep the same. Because like that’s stressful, and annoying.

2) What’s the nicest thing that your OC did for another OC?

So I’d have to say Madeline joining Johnathan’s weird game thing (it’s really complicated) and helping Nathaniel banish Johnathan and get Nathaniel’s freedom back. Because like Madeline didn’t even know Nathaniel and Nathaniel’s a bit of a butt in the beginning.

3) What about the worst thing that your OC did to another OC?

Ah, Jack stabbed Valerie, in the back, literally with a knife. And they’re childhood friends too :(((((. Haha jk I had that planned out for a while.

4) What’s your brainstorming process? How do you come up with new ideas/scenes?

Non existent, or well I kinda go with whatever I’m writing or if I’m trying to write a scene, sometimes it just comes to me. Or sometimes I’ll just sit and think for a while trying to figure out what I’m going to do with my life story

5) Have you ever shared your writing with your family/IRL friends? If so, how did they react?

Yes, I shared it with my parents and my aunt and uncle (they wanted to read it) they all loved it but me and my mom disagree a LOT about what I want to do with the story and our opinions differ a lot. I want to get her opinion on things but that’ll just result in an argument. But all of them love the story.

6) What’s your favorite place to write?

I don’t really understand this question? I’m going to answer it like “where” instead of what sorry if that’s not how it’s intended and I’m just dumb. I mostly write in my room because I’m most comfortable there and I can do whatever I want but sometimes I try to get stuff done in the kitchen at the table. Only sometimes.

7) Have you ever had a project that was…just…not working for some reason? If yes, what did you do once you realized it?

Yes, my current WIP I’m struggling a lot with. When I realized it, I just died. Or well, by that I mean when I realized too much that it wasn’t working, I scrapped (not really) what I had written and started over. This is the fourth time I’ve started over so far. If you can’t tell I am struggling.

8) Would you get along with your main characters? Why/why not?

Honestly, I don’t really know. She’s a bit like me in a way of more brave and what not, I would never explore an abandoned house or try to deal with demons, I’d just ignore and die. But I guess we could get along since I try to get along with anyone. I don’t really know lmao.

9. Do you have a routine or do you write whenever you have the time for it?

I write whenever I have the motivation, I’ve always got time to write, but like motivation my friends is a thing I never have. It’s annoying.

10. What would you love to do/try out in 2020, be it writing related or not?

I want to write, I mean also catch up on listening to Welcome to Nightvale (It is KILLING me right now, but I love it)

My questions (spoilers, they’re gonna suck):

1) What OC(s) do you disapprove of their actions the most, and why?

2) Have you ever (that you know of) made someone cry with your writing?

3) How do you create and develop your characters?

4) What do you do when you’re in a slump (or having writers block)?

5) What are some of your favorite things to see in other stories and to write in your own?

6) Do you listen to music while you write? (A common question, but I’m curious)

7) Who is your favorite OC to write and why?

8) How long have you been working on your current WIP, and if you know, how long do you want to work on it/want the WIP to be?

9) What is the most interesting thing that you like about your WIP, or the thing you’re proudest of? (Like characters, plot points, quotes, things in the universe)

10) What does your work space look like (Desktop, open tabs, window, the space around you, where you work, all that cool crap)

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

I wrote this at 6 in the morning, I’m so tired and having to fight the time because I have school today. So tagging that’s left to do, lets see.

I tag (If you’re up for it because I still don’t know who would like to be tagged or not):

@writingonesdreams-main

@heywriters

@adayforducks

@inbetweener35

@wordsofpaintandsmoke

@the-kids-are-not-okayy

AAAAA thank you again so much for the tag AAAAAAAAAAA I have to go to school now I’m out of time. LOVE YOU ALL <3

#tag game #tag #writing #writeblr

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quill-wright · 5 years ago

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Introductions!

Hello! I’ve been on Tumblr a while but haven’t really done that much. I plan to establish my blog as a writeblr/artblr, which are some important interests of mine.

I also wanted to introduce myself with my first post, so that’s the plan here.

So the name I’m using is Quill Wright (Yes, pun very intended), which is a pen name. I’m currently in my junior year of high school, and currently am taking an AP class as well. I use they/them and he/him pronouns and don’t care which you use. I aspire to get into psychology, and possibly become a profiler. I like animals, a lot, and I enjoy reading, writing, drawing, watching anime and cartoons, and listening to a wide variety of music.

Some of the fandoms I’m in include: Welcome to Nightvale, The Adventure Zone, Critical Role, OK KO, Gravity Falls, Scooby Doo, Hogwarts Mystery, Star Wars, Steven Universe, Criminal Minds, Voltron, Last Hope, and so many more.

Currently I am working on a fantasy WIP that has lots of cool stuff, like magic, fighting, a forbidden romance, some cool dragons, and also a war too.

I hope I’ll be welcome!

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soldrawss · 6 years ago

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whats the story of wolf 359??? im curious and i really really wanna get into it but the first podcast always bored me whenever i tried :(( would it be ok for u to give a run down of the plot so i can get a jumpstart in getting interested???

*Cracks knuckles* OK BABES let’s get down to the nitty gritty on why I love this podcast so friggen much and why it’s completely taken first place in my podcast heart. (Yes, I know, above TAZ, which is blasphemy but listen there is definitely a reason for this)

OK so a quick rundown of the basis of the show from the podcast’s website:

“Life’s not easy for Doug Eiffel, the communications officer for the U.S.S. Hephaestus Research Station, currently on Day 448 of its orbit around red dwarf star Wolf 359. He’s stuck on a scientific survey mission of indeterminate length, 7.8 light years from Earth. His only company on board the station are stern mission chief Minkowski, insane science officer Hilbert, and Hephaestus Station’s sentient, often malfunctioning operating system HERA. He doesn’t have much to do for his job other than monitoring static and intercepting the occasional decades-old radio broadcast from Earth, so he spends most of his time creating extensive audio logs about the ordinary, day-to-day happenings within the station. But the Hephaestus is an odd place, and life in extremely isolated, zero gravity conditions has a way of doing funny things to people’s minds. Even the simplest of tasks can turn into a gargantuan struggle, and the most ordinary-seeming things have a way of turning into anything but that.”

Now, what MY rundown of the show, is this: Its basically about Doug Eiffel, who is the unluckiest SOB in the known universe and everything bad that ever happens usually ends up happening to him. He’s a quick witted, hilariously lazy, 31 yo man who’s sorta horrible at his job and gets into the most insane situations mostly because he just… doesn’t want to do his job….

If you like aliens, space ghosts, government conspiracies, witty fucking banter and lovable as all hell I-WOULD-DIE-FOR-THESE characters, then this podcast is definitely for you! I like to think of it as Doctor Who and The Adventure Zone had a weird Welcome to Nightvale-esque baby. Literally, this show has everything. Comedy, angst, suspense, SPACE. You name it, it’s there, all in the form of 4 wacky kids on the U.S.S Hephaestus.

The first season (around 12 episodes, usually all under 20 minutes) starts off a little slow but is probably my favorite season cause there’s not a whole lot of plot. It’s kinda just random episodes that are there to get you used to how the characters think and act and get you attached to all their wonderful quirks while also getting you used to the idea that shit is wack in space and not everything is what it seems. (Again, I’m talking aliens, space ghosts, and weird fucking monsters man)

The second season is where it really starts to kick off, and man, every episode will leave you wanting more and keep your mind racing with the what ifs! I’ll tell you right now, this show is hard to predict. Every time I THINK something is going to happen, BOOM, this podcast whiplashes me and sends me flying in a whole new plot direction that I didn’t even think was possible and I LOVE it.

You fall in love with every character you meet, even the villans, and they’re all so unique and mind-blowing with all the different levels of personality and backstory they have, it’s really addictive. I finished this podcast in 3 days because I couldn’t put it down, I was SO invested in these characters.

But enough of my hyping, you want a rundown, so here it is.

During the first episode, Doug hears a weird transmission coming through the static that he’s used to hearing for almost a year now. His mission is to find alien life by this particular Red Dwarf, and he thinks he may have found it with this transmission. However, when familiar classical music is the only thing he hears, he thinks it’s just a long lost earth transmission that’s just been bouncing around the stars for a while before finding him. However, that is NOT the case, and while spaceship shenanigans ensue, he, with his strict but fair (and badass) commanding officer Renee Minkowski (Min-KOV-skee), Medic and crazy (evil???) scientist Dr. Alexander Hilbert and lovably loyal and sarcastic best friend A.I motherboard Hera, they discover that not only the transmission, but also their entire mission and who they’re working for and with, and not at all what they seem to be~~~

Fair warning. Most of the characters go through so much grief and loss and a lot of them don’t exactly get a happy ending. (The main 4 especially) It can get a little dark and even though Doug is great at making the mood light and funny with all this pop culture references and witty backtalk, this show can bring you down. Note how you fair with getting too attached with characters and make sure your mental health can take the beating these poor kids undertake.

With that being said though, it is, again, my absolute favorite podcast I’ve listened to and I may just listen to it again because it’s that good. I highly recommend you get through at least season 1 before deciding if you want to continue or not, because then the plot really starts to pick up and it’s amazing how they fit so much gold into 61 episodes and 20+ fun mini episodes and specials.

#wolf 359 #long post #spoilers kinda???#listen so much love and support went into the podcast #the voice actors are amazing #and the sound effects are incredible #the dialogue had me in stitches and in tears #and the story line is no joke #out of this world #i want more people to fall in love with this podcast #it's completely finished #and it's been over for about a year now #so i'm a little late to the hype party #but i love it so much #and i want so much more people to appreciate just how amazing it is

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superiorbiscuits · 6 years ago

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Podcon stories

This got long but the bolded stuff is where the highlights (me seeing/meeting various McElroys, me embarrassing myself in front of John Green).

So I went into Seattle a couple days early for siteseeing, which was AMAZING. Pike Place Market is so cool y’all.

But since I was in the hotel earlier than the convention, my Podcon experience started early.

Thursday afternoon I think? I saw a cute toddler in the lobby and then almost panicked because I realized it was Hank Green’s kid, because Hank Green was holding him (I made awkward eye contact with Hank then keep walking very fast towards the elevators).

Friday night I ended up having a blast, as I went out to dinner with a bunch of people from the Podcon Facebook group. They were all so fun, and I ended up hanging out with people from that dinner off and on the whole weekend.

Saturday morning I again saw little Orin Green in the lobby with Katherine and he was dressed like Winnie the Pooh (yellow pants red shirt) and he was again precious.

The cronchening at the opening show was... a thing I can’t believe I witnessed live. But it was very good. Later I went to Punch Up the Jam. You guys. This is my new favorite podcast by a MILE. I 100% recommend you go listen to it. They uploaded the episode that they did at Podcon and I’m SO SO GLAD I got to see it live (including Griffin and Demi flossing). I knew almost nothing about the show going in, and only found out like a week afterwards that Miel and Demi were like, famous viners? With Vines that I LOVE?

I left the session early cause I had somewhere to be, but I ran into Clint McElroy. I basically didn’t say anything and was overall very awkward, but I got a photo with him, and headed to my destination.

You see, I was invited (personally! By Hank Green!) to speak on a panel at Podcon. A panel moderated by Travis McElroy.

I got the email like, a week and a half before Podcon and I FLIPPED OUT and immediately agreed. They sent me a follow up of where to show up on Saturday prior to the panel and other info, but that was that. I’d be speaking on a panel called “Fan Panel” about being a fan and interacting with fandoms and creators. And I’d not only never spoken on a panel before, but I’d never been to a convention before.

I was told to meet “outside the featured creators lounge.” There was a table with Podcon employees at the spot in question, so I went up like “is this where I’m supposed to be???” and they were like “yep go on in!” to which I was like.

UHH. I GET TO GO INTO THE FEATURED CREATORS LOUNGE?

I was in there maybe 10, 15 minutes? And the whole time consisted of me trying to not stare at all the featured guests. It was a small room! All the McElroys were there! Hank and John! I was two feet away from Hannah Hart! The only famous person I actually spoke to was Simone from Polygon, because I needed to walk right by her anyway, and I complimented her on hosting the opening show, which I felt like anyone, not just a fan, would do. But otherwise I was like “grab free food, but not too much, don’t stare, don’t talk to anyone, look chill”. But I was also thinking “YOU DON’T BELONG IN THIS ROOM. THIS IS AWESOME.”

I soon found a girl who looked as uncomfortable as I felt, we started talking, and lo and behold she was one of the other panelists for the fan panel. We found our other panelists, and after a bit we were escorted to our panel by a volunteer, with Travis going “WAIT THAT’S MY PANEL I SHOULD GO WITH YOU WAIT FOR ME.”

We got in the room early, I got a selfie with Travis, and then commenced a really fun hour talking to Travis and the other panelists about fandom. And I joked with Travis! I teased him! I did a good job on the panel! People came up to us afterwards (the panelists, not just Travis) to tell us we did a good job! And then Travis asked for a picture WITH US so YEAH there’s a PHOTO OF ME ON TRAVIS MCELROY’S PHONE, OF ONLY HIM AND ME AND THREE OTHER PEOPLE.

The rest of that day was great, The Anthropocene Reviewed was super sweet, and MBMBaM was hilarious. That night (after seeing all the Smirl girls and Teresa McElroy in the hotel lobby) I went out to dinner with a bunch of Arandanauts (some of whom I knew, others I didn’t) and a couple of my fellow panelists. I had brought Cheerwine from home, cause it’s one of the unique food things from my state that can hold up after 5 days and a plane ride (biscuits and barbecue, not so much). I passed out some of them, but I was left with two extras. So when we got back to the hotel I went to the bar, which I knew would be full of Podcon people to hand out those two. I walked up to one table because I saw a friend from the night before, and went basically “hey who wants a Cheerwine? It’s cherry flavored soda,” before realizing that also at the table was a women from Welcome to Nightvale and Teylor Smirl. My friend took it (she later told me I rescued her from awkward situation, as she hadn’t meant to sit with them), and I walked around to find someone else for the last bottle.

I saw Travis, and was like “oh cool, I know him so it’d won’t be super awkward for me to just go up to him,” so I got like, most of the way up to him when I saw that Griffin was sitting next to him, which I wasn’t prepared for, but I was too close to abort, so I just went up and placed the bottle on the table in between the two of them, and Griffin looked at it, and Immediately said VERY loudly “Ah FUCK YEAH!” Travis also looked excited, so I said “y’all can share it”, gave Griffin a fist bump, and started to walk away. But Travis stopped me to compliment me on how I did on the panel earlier! I thanked him, and complimented his outfit, and asked him if it was from StitchFix (it was). I then went up to my room to grab water, and came back down, and made SUPER AWKWARD EYE CONTACT with Justin as he was holding the elevator door open for his fam.

The next day was also fun, except that I’d almost COMPLETELY lost my voice.

I went to the bibliophiles meetup, and like two minutes after he sat down I realized I was sitting at the same table as Ross from Oh No Ross and Carrie (I’ve never listened to it, but it was still cool to meet him). He looks a lot like David Duchovney.

Later my Arandanaut friends and I went to Dear Hank and John (on the second row!) and they asked people beforehand to fill in questions on index cards for them to read during the show. I, not expecting at all for them to pick it, wrote a question. They picked it. And, it happened to be about how I go to the bathroom a lot, because I drink a lot of water, and how I feel awkward about it around people I don’t know. They answered funnily, and I’m glad I asked it.

I went for sushi that night with just a few Arandanauts (James, Doctor Yellow, Julie, and Kenji), and we got back to the hotel late. We were all headed to the elevator when we saw John Green walking right past us, headed the opposite way. He looked tired, and it was really late, so none of us made a move to stop him. But I still wanted to say something in passing. Something memorable, but unique and meaningful. I panicked.

I said to New York Times best-selling author John Green: “Thank you for answering my pee question!” He smiled, chuckled a bit, and answered: “My pleasure.”

My friends and I then immediately walked into the elevator and they completely dissolved into laughter.

And that’s the gist of my Podcon. Honestly there’s so much more- I also talked with Nicole Sweeney and Ceri Riley (who recognized me as the dancer Arandanaut!), went to so many amazing liveshows, met so many amazing people, laughed my head off, and my voice was gone for like most of a week afterwards. I think I’m completely spoiled by my first con experience. I don’t know how anything else will hold up.

#personal #long post #podcon #i'll post pics too #really it was a great weekend #john green #hank green #mcelroys

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keeps-me-green · 7 years ago

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Podcasts!

Just a little (not really) list showing all of the podcasts that I listen to as of March 2018. Take it as a recommendation list if you want to.

The Bright Sessions

I love this podcast. Kind of a sci-fi storyline with therapy. Makes me very emotional. Such a bunch of diverse characters, and all of them have likeable qualities. (Yes, all of them, but I would still slap at least two of them) Caleb’s my personal favourite. A lot of canon LGBTQ+ characters too! This is definitely my favourite podcast. (I also found out that it’s ending as I’m writing this and while my heart is shattered, I’m very excited to see what comes next! A spin off and a book for Caleb?? yes??? )

Wolf 359

The series has ended, sadly, as of December 2017. Quite an adventure. Can be very rough on the heartstrings. It started off as quite a lighthearted, comedy-centred storyline in space, but took a huge turn very quickly. I’m still kinda shaken from the ending. But I adore this podcast. Each character has their redeeming characteristics, and their worst moments.(is it safe to say I have a soft spot for Kepler)

Wooden Overcoats

A hilarious podcast, set in the village (almost a town!) of Piffling Vale. It’s a great podcast for when you just need a good laugh, though the humour can be quite dark. You follow the misadventures of estranged twins running a funeral home, when they are greeted with a handsome new neighbour, with a funeral home of his own. Need I say more? (I also love Antigone.)

Welcome to NightVale

My gateway drug Podcast. The podcast everyone knows, and for good reason too. Listening to Cecil’s superfluous voice is like coming home after a long day. Carlos and Cecil’s love is also very cute. Speaking of which, I’ve been listening to this show for a really long time, and it’s exposure of LGBTQ+ characters was such a pleasant surprise.

The Penumbra Podcast

First it’s a hotel, now it’s a train. (I don’t remember when this happened) Anyway, it’s a collection of mini stories, and it has one currently running story, following the adventures of Juno Steel, private eye. I can’t really describe Juno without spoiling the story. I highly recommend listening to it. It can get quite intense and emotional. The other stories are also really great.

The Lost Cat Podcast

I’ve only gotten into this podcast fairly recently, and I’m happy I did. It’s basically about a guy who’s missing his cat and he ends up in such odd situations. It’s accompanied with really catchy music. (That musical episode was so much fun) I would like a tall glass of wine too.

Eos 10

Doctors in space. I had no clue what to expect coming into this podcast. I think I just saw it on someone else’s recommendation list and gave it a shot. I don’t regret it in the slightest. (Though I could’ve done with a warning for episode 4) The characters are all interesting, and I’m planning to listen to the series again while waiting for it to come back.

Alba Salix, Royal Physician

A Physician, forced to deal with the whole kingdom and their petty medical issues, a disgraced monk and an over eager fairy as her assistants. This one’s the latest podcast that I’ve listened to and I fell in love very quickly. I’m really looking forward to the next season! Sometimes I just wish I could give Alba a day off without worrying about what happens to the house of healing.

The Bridge

This podcast is quite unique, in my opinion. I mean, Bob was quite the surprise. I really enjoy the horror aspect of the story and the overall mystery captivates me enough to stay. It takes place on the Transcontinental Bridge. May or may not have monsters.

The Strange Case of Starship Iris

This one’s very interesting. It only has 5 episodes so far, but it is very captivating. It’s basically a sci-fi mystery, sometimes comedy that takes place after a huge war. It’s quite the bunch of characters as well, majority -if not all- part of the LGBTQ+ community.

The Orbiting Human Circus (Of the Air)

A gorgeous podcast, from the folks in Nightvale Presents. I fell in love with this story fairly easily. It’s about a circus atop the Eiffel Tower, and you follow the story of Julian the janitor, who longs for the stage. Sometimes he does get on the stage but only misfortune ensues. It’s just so whimsical, sad and happy at the same time. Leticia‘s my personal favourite and ironically, the only person who might actually speak french, but I would still hurt anyone who would harm Julian.

Alice isn’t Dead

Deliciously terrifying. Also from NightVale Presents, It’s basically about a truck driving lady looking for her dead wife, and is met with things that can come out of nightmares. It’s very very emotional. One minute its very romantic and the next it’s terrifying.

Limetown

If you’re into government conspiracies and all that jazz, this podcast is for you. Though, it is very intense and can get quite scary. You follow APR journalist, Lia Haddock as she investigates the case of Limetown, where the whole town disappeared overnight.

Bonus!

Wireless Theatre

I’ve only listened to one of their stories, the Drayton Trench series, and I enjoyed it immensely. Perhaps it’s because it was a series written by the same guy who created Wooden Overcoats.

There are podcasts that I’ve listened to but have not really followed through for various reasons. While they may not have worked out for me, I’ll list a few of them down and you should give them a try anyway. Support!

- Within the Wires

- It Makes A Sound

-Return Home

-Inkwyrm

- Ars Paradoxica (I’m actually currently listening to this but things got in the way and I haven’t picked it up again)

- Our Fair City

#long post #might edit this later #there are still podcasts i want to listen to #podcasts #edit: removed most of the tags

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