#i’ve been listening to too much Welcome to Nightvale

[strange-aeons]

hi strange i’ve been enjoying yr videos for about four years thank u for giving me giggles for so long. however i am writing as i am not totally sure who else to ask…

my boyfriend had a traumatic pneumothorax last week and about 80% of his right lung collapsed. i don’t really know anything about pneumothorax (although i have learned so much recently lol) aside from hearing you mention it and as such i don’t know how to help him :(

i know it’s a shot in the dark but i was wondering if there are any comforts or ways to alleviate pain you could share? thank you so much strange you are super tough btw to have gone through this several times this Sucks big time

many good wishes to you and your sweet hairless babies in the new year!

If it happened one week ago he’s already gotten through the worst part! I’m assuming he’s still hospitalized with a chest tube in right now??

When I was in that situation it helped a lot having frequent visits from my partner and family. Especially when they brought snacks!!!!!! Hospital meals can be borderline inedible and there’s no way of escaping to the food court when you have a chest tube in (unless you plan to deceive multiple nurses and risk life threatening infection through the OPEN HOLE IN YOUR CHEST. Don’t do that).

Good food can be a relief in an otherwise horrible time, so finding out what he really wants to eat and brining it will definitely help. If he has no appetite then things like smoothies or drinkable soup can be very helpful. I often live off booster juice and Tim Hortona chicken noodle soup when hospitalized.

Finding the right media to keep sane is also very important!!! Your sleep schedule disintegrates entirely when laying on your back full of tube for multiple days. 2AM listening to alarms go off and 6AM getting woken up for x-rays and 1pm having the lunch slop delivered and 3pm being woken up for x-rays and 9pm visit from your surgeon all become basically indistinguishable, especially if you have no windows. Podcasts were ideal for me because it can be very hard to find a comfortable position with a chest tube / pneumothorax and looking at a screen was often too much of a hassle. Queer as fact and fall of civilizations are both excellent if you want non fiction btw. Old gods of Appalachia or welcome to nightvale if you want fiction.

There’s not a lot that you as a loved one can do about his physical pain, but I will share some of my pneumothorax expertise with you and anyone else who might go through this.

There’s no nerve endings in the lungs so all the pain/ discomfort related to a pneumothorax has to do with pressure in the chest cavity.

The pain is the absolute worst when your lung is actively collapsing so when that feeling starts SHOVE SOME EXTRA STRENGTH ADVIL OR TYLENOL DOWN YOUR THROAT, then lay down and wait for it to finish collapsing. It may seem tempting to rush to the hospital as fast as possible (or rush your loved one who’s lung is collapsing to the hospital) but trust me the last thing you want to do with a lung that is actively deflating like a sad balloon is exert yourself (this is how I collapsed my lung the full 100% and could not move my upper body for an hour. Quirky). Give it at least 30 minutes of floor time before you try to move. You will have a way better time getting to the hospital.

Wait sorry I lied lung re-inflation hurts sometimes more than the initial collapse. The sometimes are the times when ER nurses do not know how to do it properly. Immediately after they put the chest tube in, they attach it to a suction machine to suck out the excess air in your chest cavity. I do not know if these machines are the same internationally (I’m Canadian) but if you’re dealing with one where the settings are percentages, the one you want is 20% suction. NOT 100%!!! that just causes unnecessary excruciating pain without being more effective. I have had to fight numerous nurses while in the worst pain of my life to TURN THE PAIN MACHINE DOWN. fuck the pain machine. Anyway. After the pain machine they leave the tube in for a few more days to make sure the lung stays inflated. Nearing the end of that process, most of the discomfort is caused by the tube itself, so as horrible disgusting the worst getting that thing ripped out is, just know you will feel so much better after.

Throughout the healing process (and in the case of small pneumothoraxes not requiring chest tubes �� I’ve had over 10 of those ones) I’ve noticed that heightened discomfort lasting a few minutes results from going from laying down to standing up or vice verse, or from bending over. This is why I have pioneered the sophisticated technique know as the pneumothorax squat. It is just as cool and hot as you’re imagining.

This post was supposed to be about how to support a loved one with a pneumothorax what the heck am I even talking about now.

Most of what he’s going to need will seem boring or insignificant. Companionship. Food. Medication. Toiletries. COMPANIONSHIP. podcast recommendations. But it absolutely is not insignificant. Abruptly losing mobility, independence, and bodily autonomy as a young person is really fucked up and I cannot fathom doing it without my family and my partner, even if most days that consisted of talking to me and bringing me smoothies and underwear.

Wishing a quick recovery to your boyfriend! Good luck with everything!!

[yellowrabbitfurry]

Sup losers! /silly

This is my blog! Pretty neat, huh?

My name is Oliver, but I also go by Ollie, Killer, Kills, or Scout. My pronouns are He/him and it/its

(please please please ask me about my fantasy AU for the Vees or my OCs, I wanna talk about them so bad and if I ramble about it I might write something or draw their designs but I NEED someone to want me to pleaseeee)

Fandoms I’m in:

UTMV, FNaF, VotV, Subnautica, Dredge, Hermitcraft, Hazbin Hotel, Indigo Park, Poppy Playtime, Gravity Falls, Steven Universe, Digital Circus, Pokemon, Epic the Musical, SCP, Welcome to Nightvale, (more things to be added)

I’m a furry, obviously lol

Theriotypes:

Wolf, Golden Retriever, Fox, Brown British Longhair Cat (that also has Luna moth wings now btw. Very complicated I know 👀)

Fictionkin types:

Killer Sans!

The thing from Carrion

Swap Sans!!! Aka Scout :3

an angel? A star? A god? Idk some divine ass crechur with way too many wings lmao

Freaky deer beast lmao (similar to one of the w*ndigo depictions, but not actually one, obviously)

Horror sans

Error Sans!!

Fresh Sans 😎 (specifically the parasite lol)

I’m also plural!! I don’t exactly know much about the terms and such when it comes to it but I’m learning!!! I have exactly ONE!!! Head mate and it’s Error!!! He also goes by Puppeteer (or Pup!)

Things I do:

*I write fanfiction!! Mostly for UTMV, and I’m kinda slow, but apparently I’m really good! Anything I’ve written eventually be linked below, somewhere (as soon as I figure it out lmao) I don’t TECHNICALLY take requests, but give me them anyway! If I get inspired, I might write something (no nsfw)

*I make Therian masks! Only for me, but I will definitely be posting whatever I get finished with.

*I make things out of cardboard! So far I’ve made Sundrop, Glam Freddy, and Vox!

*I’m also teaching myself to draw! I’m not very good, so don’t expect anything- buuut if I make something I’m proud of you’ll definitely see it.

Fanfic Masterpost:

Nest (Bad Sans Poly)

Meetings (Utmv OC stuffs)

In pursuit of Freedom (Utmv OC stuffs)

Alive (VotV)

You can chat to me about anything you want, as long as you don’t make it weird (you know the kind of weird) I’m kinda bad at keeping conversation at first, but I’m a really good listener if you wanna ramble or vent! You can chat to me about anything you want, as long as you don’t make it weird (you know the kind of weird) I’m kinda bad at keeping conversation at first, but I’m a really good listener if you wanna ramble or vent!

And please, don’t get upset if I never answer your asks or reblog something I’ve been tagged in. I get nervous sometimes and put it off (or sometimes Tumblr breaks and won’t let me) and then I get even more nervous after a while cause I feel like it’s too late ;-;

That should be all for now! Thank you for taking the time to read this! (I hope I did it right lol)

(Credits for the divider used in this post goes to @/Killerssideblog, go check them out if you want! Credits for the autism banner goes to @/melmeldotpng with the art on said banner by @/angelsemotes)

[harrylights]

2, 4, 5, 7, 17, 20 (i think these are the right ones i chose) just passin by to do my due diligence once again to do ask games for u

ty for beginning to repair the psychic damage caused by ur hilarious memes i’ll throw in an extra squishmallow on ur next paycheck 🙏🏻

2: where do I see myself living in 10 years? fuck, my brain struggles to conceptualize things that far in advance bc ten years ago i would never have thought my life would look like it does rn (both in good and bad ways ig lol) but prob somewhere similar to where i’m at currently but i doubt i’ll stay in my same city for that long tbh. just somewhere that has lots of nature and my friends and is by either the ocean or water of some kind and makes me feel at ease in the way that my hometown never did

4: has my aesthetic changed at all in the last year? OH BOY HAS IT EVER. i was only JUST starting to be on my masc shit, I think I’d just shaved my head this time last year but was still too afraid to let myself dress less femme-y, but in hindsight i see that phase as a necessary stepping stone to get to where i’m at now and i’m v grateful to be here. let’s see if i can find a pic real quick

(ok looking back on it i was more masc than i thought but still only baby steps etc. also yes i am supposed to be wearing glasses whenever i’m drawing/looking at a screen but i do that sm less than i used to that i…. forget)

5: what is smth I’m proud of? tbh for going to the dbt/cbt therapy group thing pretty much everyday, it was super helpful and i’m in a much better place now and have like structure in my life again lmao

7: do I have a favourite podcast? I haven’t listened to one in aaaages but i remember rly liking welcome to nightvale and also sadboyz or whatever w jarvis johnson but i’ve been taking an unintentional break from most media lately idk why

17: what song do I love dancing to? i have SO MANY but rn my main go to is tírame by genio

20: favourite fruit & vegetable? mangoes and cucumbers!! (i think cukes are technically fruit too but smd tbh)

fill my inbox asks

[yeetthedragon]

>:)

- the 1975: i guess they’re electronic pop but they have songs of different genres. they’re my favorite band :)

- 4TH WALL by ruel: his latest album, i love it so much. my favorite songs from it are I DONT WANNA BE LIKE YOU, SET YOURSELF ON FIRE, MUST BE NICE, and END SCENE but honestly the whole album is so so good. ruel just has really good songs, i also like younger and face to face, and his remix of golden hour. i like that song better than the original. trust me, it is better than the original

- chloe moriondo is a great artist, i really like her style

- i’ve been getting into lizzie mcalpine too, specifically erase me feat jacob collier, give me a minute, and doomsday

- ribs by the crane wives: ugh i found this song recently and fell in love. it has such a hadestown vibe, and hadestown is my favorite musical. great song, good band

- declan mckenna: specifically rapture (great song to blast through headphones), brazil, make me your queen, and in blue (fucking banger i love this song)

- sleeping at last: does good covers, i like you wouldn’t like me, looking at the world from the bottom of a well, and saturn

- vincent by don mclean: one of the songs i can repeat forever. love it

- briston maroney: YES YES how could i forget about him. freaking out on the interstate, rose, under my skin, and fool’s gold are my favorites

- alec benjamin: saw him in concert with a friend almost a year ago, it was honestly surreal because no band or artist i listen to ever tours in my city so to have one of my all-time favorite artists come to my hometown was a night to remember. too many of his songs i love to list, just go listen to him. one i highly recommend is paper crown, specifically the youtube version from 2015. i was addicted to this song when i was younger

- state champs: a band i liked a lot my freshman year of high school. their cover of real world is great, better than the original in my opinion. losing myself, all you are is history, secrets, and our time to go we’re favorites of mine back in 2019

- goodnight moon by go radio: another of my all time favorites. also great to blast through headphones. my brother doesn’t like this song for some reason. probably because i play it too often idk

- I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME: great band love them 100%. clusterhug is an all-time favorite and i wish i could belt that final high note. it’s really not that high but i can’t belt. oh also razzmatazz. banger

- this too shall pass by danny schmidt: found this song from the welcome to nightvale podcast. good song

- in bloom by neck deep: love it love it love it

- call you up by viola beach: great for driving late at night

- i’m this close to just dropping my spotify

- jackie onassis by sammy rae and friends: literally in love with her voice please

- cherophobe by the royston club: another favorite :)

- i know that he loves me by autoheart: such a good vibes song

- acolyte by slaughter beach, dog: good for sunny days

- holy by PVRIS: vibes i love it. overall great band

- malibu 1992: something about it gives october vibes. also i have an october-themed playlist that i love

- persephone by the tragic thrills: gives off the vibe of like a dark green, i love it

- out of time by the weekend: i don’t wanna say it sounds ethereal, maybe other-worldly is a good word? idk i like this song a lot

if i keep going i will be typing forever so i’m cutting it off here. i already have way too many suggestions, and this was just from one playlist. granted it’s a playlist compiled from three years of my on repeat playlist that spotify puts together so. if people are interested i’ll drop the spotify and we can be spotify moots :D but yeah there’s that for now

i wanna branch out in my music taste so if you guys want you can start a chain of songs/artists/albums you recommended and we can call listen to new music yk <3

[sqwishywrites34]

Petition to make Mr Banana from Miraculous Ladybug into a cryptid.

He’s just around every day and no one knows his true face, if he even has one. No one knows who, or what, is under that bright yellow, always smiling, never changing, face.

He knows the unseen horrors of the world, yet he does not speak them. He likely knows the secret identities of Paris’ beloved heroes, yet he stays quiet.

He knows.

No one knows what he knows.

But he knows.

And he will never speak the horrors he has witnessed or the deep, unfathomable secrets he has been unwittingly privy to.

He watches.

And he knows.

And after years of his tormenting silence, keeping the depths of knowledge that no human could possibly comprehend, the only thing he has and will ever speak, in his near perfect copy of a human voice,

“Stay Peachy!”

What does he mean?

What hidden knowledge has he encrypted into his words, his very voice?

What horrors and unfathomable knowledge lies behind those glassy eyes, never blinking, never moving, yet all-seeing?

What unseen, incomprehensible, eldritch horror is hidden behind that wide, too wide, too friendly, just too welcoming, never changing grin?

What secrets does he keep? And for how long? How long has Mr Banana been here? No one knows. If you ask, they’ll say he’s always been here, bringing joy to anyone who sees him. How old is Mr Banana? Where did he come from? Where will he return to?

Will he return to the ash and dust of the Earth once We are all Gone?

Will he ever return anywhere?

Does he have anything to return to? Or has he simply existed since the dawn of everything? Will he be here to see it all crumble? Will he bring the end? Will he be here after we have all met our inevitable demise?

Or is he protecting us? From the horrors he has been witness to?

Is he, alone, preventing our annihilation?

Will he protect us from The End?

Would we simply crumble without his Guardianship?

Should we have faced our demise already?

Is he the one who prevented this?

Is he Still preventing this?

Is he the only thing standing in the way of meeting our eternal fate?

That, dear Readers, is a question we should not ponder too long, should the conclusion be unfavorable. Or Worse. Incomprehensible.

We should simply appreciate this protection we have from facing the inevitable eternity which awaits us.

And with that, dear Readers, I bid you adieu, and a, hopefully, restful night.

Goodnight, dear Readers, Goodnight.

[canon-lgbt-characters]

ok now im curious!! what content with lgbt characters (preferably primary characters) would you recommend?

thanks for asking!! I have been preparing for this moment 🙏🏻 SORRY THAT THIS GOT KIND OF LONG! so I put it under a read more

first are my trio of webcomics I keep up with no matter what

Alice and the Nightmare - I just gave it a shout out but it's a cool fantasy world about Alice, a fat bi girl!, going to college after living with the queen for years and not having many friends, but it seems like something about Alice isn't quite 'normal'. Cast is very diverse and fun!

Sleepless Domain - gay magical girls!! they protect a city from nightly monster attacks and soon a mysterious monster causes a lot of trouble for our main characters. Undine is black and wlw and she is such a good character I love her so much

Namesake - a portal fantasy about going to stories of classics like Wizard of Oz but the Emma... shouldn't be there based off of how the 'portals' work. Evolves into some of the best world building and settings I've ever read. Emma isn't lgbt+ but a lot of the main and supporting cast are! My icon is one of my favorite characters <3

Podcasts my beloved media type that I never get around to despite loving

The Magnus Archives - a podcast that is literally no questions asked my favorite piece of horror media I've ever engaged in. It's horror is amazing, it's slow world building is the perfect amount of questions and answers, and it's characters are SO interesting. Also has trigger warnings for every episode on the wiki/on the episode descriptions for if you like horror but can't stand a certain type of scare!

Welcome to Nightvale - listen to me. listen to me. nightvale has always been good. it's weird and funny and small fucked up little town where cosmic horrors are just normal every day things is a FUN trope and it's worth checking out if you never were into it back in the day

shows and cartoons and yeah <3

The Haunting of Bly Manor - I am once again talking about horror media. Anyways they labeled this as gothic romance and I was instantly hooked! It's a heartbreaking sort of story about ghosts and memories and the main character is a lesbian who is working at a creepy old manor to take care of the kids who live there and if you like horror...!! (The Haunting of Hill House is also good & worth checking out!)

Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts - this cartoon feels super underrated despite having a black gay boy get to say he's gay out loud. it's a post apocalypse setting where humanity has kind of hidden themselves away from the huge kaiju mutated animals and the talking animal groups but our protag Kipo is going to go through the world and solve it's mysteries and help everyone heal through kindness and song. it's really fun and 100% worth checking out if you are the type to enjoy kids cartoons!

i would also give a shout out to some comics & graphic novels I love but this is getting really long so for now I'll just shout out one I really liked

Saga - lol okay Saga has been on hiatus for... a long time now and it's on an awful cliffhanger so just a heads up if you check it out. ALSO!! This is an 18+ piece of media if you are a minor please wait to check it out. it will probably still be on hiatus by the time you're old enough lmao. It's a space opera scifi story about a couple who were on different sides of a looong war but they're together despite that and also pregnant and holy shit they're having a baby right here in chapter 1. it's the story of their kid growing up and the struggles of the parents to keep them safe. Also heads up if you're not big on character deaths maybe don't read this, it gets sort of games of thrones-y to keep the cast cycling out

i know my summaries def got worse as this list went on but this was like. starter pack to my favorite media with lgbtq+ characters and they are all equally worth checking out if they sounded interesting to you!! There's a lot more, especially webcomics and comics, I would love to talk about someday too

[girlhorrror]

i would love some spooky podcast recs please!! :))

omg <3 like i mentioned on that post i’d recommend pretty much any grim and mild productions podcast. lore has been my favourite podcast for probably like four years at this point, each episode is about a spooky history event so like ghost stories, legends, historical true crime (true crime done like, respectfully i have no qualms with this one). unobscured is longer-form and each season focuses on a specific time period (i’ve listened to the witch trials one and half of the rasputin one they’re both good). i haven’t listened to any cabinet of curiosities but im sure it’s good too that one is short-form. but yeah they’ve made a bunch more too that i’m sure are all really great. i’ve been meaning to listen to strange arrivals for years (that one’s about aliens). for fiction i’m going with the classic but correct pick of welcome to nightvale, i never managed to get through it all but i was Obsessed when i first found it. i also listen to let’s get haunted which is also like ghost stories/cryptids etc… but the host are like very LA influencer women and not at all sceptical so not everyone’s vibe.

[hillblah]

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/

[demontownclowns]

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."

[smallmediumproblems]

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.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

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

[lunerbean]

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.

[self-ship-love]

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.

[phantom-does-a-thing]

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

[quill-wright]

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!

[soldrawss]

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.