#jorin baas

[lizzardson]

starting a random podcast and getting jump scared by jorin "hi im case" baas in episode 1 then fucking jonny sims 7 episodes later was. an experience. anyway go listen to second star to the left

[secondstartotheleftpodcast]

Dropping the Second Star to the Left cast and crew Q&A episode today!!!

We laugh, we answer your questions; we talk process and method, the origins of the bedtime stories, and recording during a pandemic; we plan a vacation to a dry desert for Mikail...

It was a blast* to record with these lovely people, and we hope it's a blast to listen to as well!

*space pun

[ink-splotch]

Do you ever feel LONELY on your rocky planet as you spin through space at dizzying speeds, trying to survive your day and staring up at the stars? Then you're like GWEN, INTREPID SCOUT-EXPLORER, except she is literally the only human on her planet and yes she technically signed up for this gig.

Do you ever feel STUCK in your DRAB OFFICE, on your rapidly rotating SPACE STATION, asked to assist and support people from afar but actively given no actual power or permissions to DO SO? Then you're like Bell! Bell's mad about it but they're trying to be a goddamn professional, thank you!

Or do you ever feel like you're an adorable and astoundingly loyal robot who makes BRRP BRRT noises and gets told bedtime stories every night by your favorite human? Then you are a blessed one, your name is BOOTS THE ROBOT, and you just keep on rolling, bud.

Want to hang out with Bell, Gwen, and Gwen's best friend Boots? Come listen to SECOND STAR TO THE LEFT, a story of two nerds falling in love over their work Zoom, which we swear we wrote before the pandemic hit.

Listen on Spotify, Castos, Amazon Music, or (soon!) Apple podcasts. Check your local podcast catcher!

Castos: link

Written by E. Jade Lomax & Aysha Farah. Directed & Edited by Rachel Kellum. Starring Ishani Kanetkar & Jorin Baas.

Transcript for episode one: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kb_xFQZgGIaISdcayFkENlNaAb4lm5HB/view?usp=drivesdk

New episodes every two weeks!

[ruffboijuliaburnsides]

ohoho i peeked at the vod and i really like your voice,,,, reminds me jorin baas who i absolutely love. might hop in a stream sometime but i would kill for you to get a better mic. i need that hi fidelity voice!!

/sob/ anon, anon I *have* a better mic. The problem is that I don't have a functioning CORD for said mic.

Granted it's still a USB mic, and it's uh... probably over a decade old at this point, it's a very old Yeti, but last time I used it, it still provided pretty nice audio, it's just that the USB cord that we have that connects to it is uh.... dead. Very dead. Don't ask.

So like... in theory one day there will be better audio, but it requires me to have the spare cash to actually buy the replacement USB cord. Which I currently don't have.

/shrug/

But stick around, bc I do actually want to improve my audio quality as soon as I can, so it should happen soon enough, y'know?

............also thank you for the compliment, I had never heard jorin baas but if he's the guy from Second Star to the Left, then yeah I can 100% see the similarities and I do not mind at ALL.

[secondstartotheleftpodcast]

FULL SEASON TRAILER: Second Star to the Left

A queer sci-fi podcast about loneliness, wonder, and connection in space.

Written by E. Jade Lomax (ink-splotch/dirgewithoutmusic) and Aysha Farah / Directed and Edited by Rachel Kellum

Starring Ishani Kanetkar and Jorin Baas

Our ten episode show premieres February 20th!

Listen to our FULL trailer here:

Listen on Spotify

Listen on Castos

Trailer transcript below cut:

BELL

Sighs. Gwendolyn Hartley, Scout-Explorer class of ‘66. My name is Bell Summers, and I’ve been assigned to work as your minder for your five year mission. They assigned me three months ago, which is when I first tried and failed to contact you.

GWEN

That’s not my fault, okay-- we were trained with the computer system, you know. I didn’t know I was blocking out a real live person every time I denied the computer speech access.

BELL

You’re a real scout now. Things don’t go like they do in training.

     <Ping>

GWEN

So are you going to, like, listen to everything I do, Summers?

BELL

Yes, but I’m only on your direct line four hours every other day. The rest of your time is yours.

GWEN

The rest of my time is the settlement office’s. But I get what you mean.

     <Ping>

BELL

--you’re going to exhaust yourself, and fall down a crevice, and--

GWEN

I bet you’re great at parties.

BELL

I bet you stand on tables.

     <Ping>

GWEN

It’s just a routine malfunction? From what you were saying, it seemed like they were really freaked.

BELL

Wouldn’t you be if you dropped out of hyperspeed?

Their sensors went haywire for a few seconds with some sort of broadband radio burst, and now he says it’s like they’re being dragged backwards-- even though there’s nothing out there. But Nguyen’s always been fanciful when he’s frazzled. He’s got a good first mate, they’ll calm him down.

GWEN

What if it’s not a malfunction? What if it's not the ship? Did he send you a recording of the radio burst?

BELL

It’s Nguyen, he sent me everything. (IRRITATED) Except the engine readings

     <Ping>

GWEN

Listen, Captain Fakir--

FAKIR

Oh, Captain. I like that. I think I like you Gwen Hartley.

GWEN

Fantastic.

FAKIR (THREATENING)

It’s a good thing when management likes you.

     <Ping>

BELL

Just… checking Mikail’s line again. I wish they gave us more feeds on you guys. I don’t understand how I’m expected to do this work with nothing but a comm line.

GWEN

Live data streams are expensive.

BELL

Expense is not a valid prioritization when making decisions about individuals’ lives and safety.

GWEN

We signed a contract. We signed on for this.

BELL

I am aware.

     <Ping>

BELL

At some point you need to wonder how much your life is worth.

     <Ping>

GWEN

Scouts sign up knowing the risks.

     <Ping>

BELL

We were the ugly truth.

     <Ping>

FAKIR

How many wrenches does one scout-minder need?

     <Ping>

BELL

Gwen I don’t want to regret any of this, please.

Maybe you would have made different decisions-- or I would have. I can learn from this, I can hate some of the things that are happening--

But I’m glad to have known Mikail, and Priyanka... and you.

     <Music starts up>

     <Music continues under words>

GWEN

The sky, Peter... I wish you could see it. It's blue, but the shading's not quite right. I can't think what to call it other than 'blue,' but it's so easy to see I'm nowhere near home.

It's funny. I lived a year in space, and I'll probably never fly again.

But I've got lots to do.

BOOTS

Whirr, beep

GWEN

Hey Boots, yeah, what you think? Gonna be a good day?

BOOTS

BEEP-boop

     <Music continues>

Second Star to the Left. Launching February 20th 2021

     <Music continues>

[secondstartotheleftpodcast]

Ep. 3: As the Bell Tolls

While Gwen takes a routine mapping and surveying journey toward the edge of the liveable zone on her planet. Bell deals with problems on their space station and some concerning news--or lack of news--from Mikail.

Read the Transcript: https://drive.google.com/file/d/13fKSFppLCool8s0Wa3saQHMbtoQW2CqN/view?usp=sharing

Or listen on: 

Spotify 

Apple Podcasts 

Castos (web browser)

or your favorite podcatcher! 

[secondstartotheleftpodcast]

I want to thank the creators and the entire cast and crew for this wonderful, fun, heartwarming podcast! It made my evenings more magical. I also learned a few things and heard some amazing bedtime stories. Thank you so much! I would love to listen to more of Adam Rubin's and Jorin Baas' music; you mentioned something about Jorin's recently, but I wasn't able to find it. Could you perhaps tell me where it is or give me a link? That would be so nice!

Here's Jorin's bandcamp: https://hiimcase.bandcamp.com/

They're great, go check them out!

[secondstartotheleftpodcast]

Guess what's up!!!!!!!

Listen on Spotify or Castos (and soon Apple Podcasts, but they have to "validate" us first).

Transcript for episode one is available here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kb_xFQZgGIaISdcayFkENlNaAb4lm5HB/view?usp=drivesdk

[secondstartotheleftpodcast]

Bello Collective 100 Best Podcast Episodes of 2021

"Second Star to the Left, “The Scout” - Independent

If you enjoy nerding out about science while grappling with the complexities of human emotions and relationships, Second Star to the Left doles out both in perfect unison.

Gwen is a Scout-Explorer, sent on a five-year-long solitary mission to a habitable planet in order to prep and prepare it for settlement. Only, she’s not actually that lonely because she has Bell Summers in her ear for four hours every other day, a minder in another part of space entirely. 

Second Star to the Left concentrates on the power of stories, the strength of our voices to build entire relationships, and what it means to be able to simply listen to someone when you think you’re helpless.

It all hinges on voice actors Ishani Kanetkar and Jorin Baas and their confusing, frustrating, explosive meeting in the very first episode. A plot mainly carried by two actors needs stellar voice work to buy into their relationship as a movable, mutable thing, and Kanetkar and Baas have not only embodied the twin feelings of whimsy and fear of taking on a new, uninhabited planet, but the very core of what it means to try to create your own Neverland.

Chosen by Elena Fernández Collins, Bello Collective staff writer and creator of Audio Dramatic"

Find the full run of Second Star to the Left on Spotify, Castos, Apple Podcasts, Audible, or your favorite podcatcher!

[secondstartotheleftpodcast]

Hey all! We're organizing a behind the scenes round table with the cast and crew of Second Star to the Left podcast:

Ishani Kanetkar (Gwen)

Jorin Baas (Bell)

Matthew Zahnzinger (Mikail)

Aysha Farah (Amelia, writer, casting director, co-creator)

Rachel Kellum (director)

and E. Jade Lomax (writer, producer, co-creator)

Please submit questions for the cast and crew to the ask box!

[ink-splotch]

A sci-fi audio drama from Aysha Farah (Friendsim, Hiveswap Act 2, Pesterquest, The Sky Left Us/Ratworm Games) & E. Jade Lomax (ink-splotch/dirgewithoutmusic, Stay?, sortinghatchats)

Directed & edited by Rachel Kellum @geniusface

Starring Ishani Kanetkar (@thevoicefromthestars , The Godshead Incidental, Starship Iris, Valence) and Jorin Baas (Etceteraverse, Hi I'm Case, @casejackal )

Scout-explorer Gwendolyn Hartley (Kanetkar) is on a five-year mission to map, study, and prepare a planet for settlement. It’s a hard job and lonely one, but she’s been chasing this dream all her life. Gwen’s only connections back to humanity are the letters she sends home and the anxious voice of her assigned scout-minder in her ear.

Bell Summers (Baas) is on a five-year mission to monitor, support, and advise three scout-explorers as they prepare undeveloped planets in quadrant 530-D for settlement. Listening from their rented berth on a local space station, Bell is always a step away from the action. The untamed vistas, biological marvels, and dangers of the planets are just sounds on their short-range FTL communicator.

Missing the things she’s lost or left behind, Gwen is determined to love and protect her new home. Cautious and stubborn, Bell is determined to get all their scouts through this alive. They didn’t intend to fall for a place-- or a face-- that they’ve never seen.

Coming February 20th to a podcast app near you!

[ink-splotch]

Hello! Is your Ao3 account still active, like are you still posting fics there every so often? I've read the boy with a scar, we must unite within her walls or we'll crumble from within, and bring the war home series' in their entirety at least 3 times, so I wondered if they are still being updated?

I'm working on some fic, even another boy with a scar piece, but a lot of my time is going into surviving 2020 & some original projects, see below.

You can also check my Ao3 Works page to see that I posted several fics this year, just not ones in those series. (btw, 'we must unite' is a completed series & won't be seeing any additional updates).

Some ongoing projects to look forward to:

1. I've got an interactive fiction game called "Stay?" coming out in November -- save the world, make friends & fall in love (if you feel like it)

(I've got a full beta version up on my patreon if folks want early access though)

2. @ayshaufarah & I have also got a podcast coming out (...soon??), Second Star to the Left, which follows a first-settlement scout (@thevoicefromthestars) and the anxious bureaucratic voice in her ear (Jorin Baas, casejackal on Twitter).

3. I'm working on about three different books...

...though if you haven't read my other work, I also have seven novels up already on ejadelomax.com. The ebooks are free! I recommend starting with Beanstalk.

I feel like I'm probably forgetting another creative project in there... but hey there's some things yet to tide you over.

[secondstartotheleftpodcast]

TEASER TRAILER 1: Second Star to the Left ✨ ✨

Scout-explorer Gwen Hartley has five years to explore and prepare her planet for settlement. With no aid but her robots and the anxious voice of her long-distance scout-minder Bell Summers in her ear, she's hoping to be ready for anything.

Starring Ishani Kanetkar and Jorin Baas. Created by Aysha Farah and E. Jade Lomax. Directed by Rachel Kellum.

Listen on Spotify

Listen on Castos

[secondstartotheleftpodcast]

We are thrilled to announce the main cast for Second Star to the Left:

Ishani Kanetkar @thevoicefromthestars will be playing scout-explorer Gwen Hartley, our intrepid protagonist out to build something good among the stars.

Jorin Baas will be playing scout-minder Bell Summers, our brave voice in the sky who is NOT being paid enough to deal with Gwen.

It has been delightful working with them both so far, and we're beyond excited to continue recording and creating this story alongside them.

Watch this space for more SSttL news!

[ink-splotch]

Hey all! For May’s 1$ patron reward, I’ve posted up the first composition run of the theme music for upcoming fiction podcast Second Star to the Left. 

The story of a scout-explorer named Gwen (Ishani Kanetkar, @thevoicefromthestars), her planet, and the voice of her officious long-distance scout-minder Bell (Jorin Baas), you can also read the first script as an earlier month’s patreon reward: Second Star to the Left: Episode One!