#one shot podcast network

[creationcast]

Our February series is underway! We invited Maso Perez to join us to learn about the official Boyfriend Dungeon TTRPG, Life on the Edge!

We were thrilled to learn about this unique game where you play as people who can turn into weapons, and it's as much about your relationships with one another as it is about fighting through some very personal dungeons where you wield one another in battle.

If you like what you hear on this episode, the rest of this month's series is up on our patreon! Check out episode 2 and 3 right here:

[merelymatt]

It's Audio Drama Sunday

So here are 3 episodes I enjoyed this week

Breakfast

Back for season 9. I love what this episode does with repetition and sudden midsentence cuts.

The Poplars of Soissons

I just reached the final season in my replay of Unwell. The sounds of the pipes and the calliope are haunting and beautiful, and I love this little origin story for those sounds.

Worldwide Wrestling

I can't embed this one because it's a Secret Archive exclusive for OneShotOberfest – Fiona from What Am I Rolling? (which was just recently folded into the One Shot Network), who's guested enough times on @merelyroleplayers to gain "friend of the show" status, leads some other One Shot hosts through character creation for Worldwide Wrestling. I'm looking forward to hearing Doctor Knockout (aka Doctor Knockabout, aka Doc Knock) in the ring.

[the-royal-blue-network]

Jaxson Rivers adjusted the camera, tilting it this way and that way until he and his two other co-host, Micheal and Taylor, where perfectly in frame. After hitting the red record button, a soft beep sounded as Jaxson took a seat between his best friends. Then, picking up his mic, he took a deep breath and looked straight into the camera.  

“Well hello anarchist! I’m one of your handsome hosts, Jaxson Rivers.” Said Jaxson as he gripped his mic with both hands. 

“And I’m your even better-looking host, Taylor Hunt, this handsome Hunk’s husband.” Taylor said, as he elbowed Micheal.   

“And I am Micheal Hunt, arguably the best-looking host on this show. And you’re listening to, Bunkers and Bongs, your favorite informative, yet bat shit crazy news podcast. Apple Jax, how’s the war?” Micheal said, turning to his co-host. 

Jaxson opened his mouth to respond when a loud bang went off, causing their drinking glasses, and the plywood serving as their table, to rattle. 

“Well, it’s still going on, that’s for sure.” Jaxson said, looking directly into the camera. 

Hosting a podcast in the middle of a war zone was indeed as bat shit crazy as it sounded. But Bunkers and Bongs hadn't always been so hectic. There was a time when Bunkers and Bongs was known as ‘The Insomniac Podcast’. Back then, Jaxson, Micheal, and Taylor’s lives were quite normal. Before the war, Jaxson, Micheal, and Taylor recorded their podcast in a proper studio; they had employees and they made money through brand deals, merch sales, and donations from their listeners.  

Back then, before the civil war began, The Insomniacs, as they called themselves, had Roth IRAs and other investments, they had partners and an office which they ran their operations out of, and they had their whole lives mapped out. 

But then the war started and much like the small town they lived in, all The Bunker Boys’s lives went up in flames.  

.... 

Before the war, The Bunker Boys were known as The Tree Boys, and their podcast, Bongs N Things, was all about THC, CBD, and LGBT news. 

But now, that was no longer the case, six and a half years ago, The Bunker Boys, and everyone around them, chose to write off all those who tried to warn them. 

It was 2024 when it all began, anti-LGBTQ legislation was being written and in acted like movies hitting the box office. Every week there was a new law being enacted, and The Hall Monitors, a group of older gay men who had a love of law, started a blog, detailing all that was happening in every state. The Hall Monitors had friends in high places who would inform them of what was happening on the federal level, and The Hall Monitors tried to spread the news; but with very little knowledge about how to work their devices, and even less about how social media worked, The Hall Monitors' message failed to reached a wide enough audience. The Monitors tried to use the popular publications to get the news in the paper, but no one was really reading the paper anymore, at least not the local ones that The Monitors had access to. 

Eventually, when people finally did realize what was going on, their neighborhoods where already filled with men dressed in cameo uniforms, and the entire country was now under total government control.  

For some, the uniformed men weren’t a problem; that is until they widened their scope of targets, going from targeting just LGBT folks, to then targeting people with disabilities, people who held jobs that the government deemed as ‘unimportant’, or just anyone the government saw as a threat. And of course, all the ‘die hard citizens’, the bigots, and all those who opposed any and everyone who decided to go against the grain, they joined the government, and soon, the entire country was divided into two halves, and all hell broke loose. 

But a civil war? The country of Deston, where The Insomniacs used to live, could handle a simple civil war; hell, their country started with a civil war! But this war was far greater than any civil war the world had ever seen before. Both halves of this war didn’t just have bombs, guns, and tanks, they also had concoctions that could raise the dead and powders that if inhaled, would allow the makers of that powder to fully control whoever had ingested it. 

All the while, while the citizens of Deston were busy killing one another, The Insomniacs were simply trying to get as far away from the chaos as possible. But when the lock down came, Jaxson, Micheal, and Taylor got trapped in Deston, and they figured they were going to die there. So, the trio found a bunker, and they hid out. For days, they just sat in the bunker and did their best not to get involved in the fight. 

Friends of the boys, who had been forced into the fight, would come by the bunker to check on the trio; they brought snacks and updates about what was happening, and luckily for the boys, prior to starting the podcast, Taylor and Micheal worked as nurses, so they were able to patch up the soldiers in exchange for protection. 

Eventually, Micheal somehow managed to find their old studio amongst the rubble, and through a sheer act of God, all their recording equipment was able to be salvaged, and after convincing the general, of the small army they’d been staying with, to allow them to use the army’s internet, The Insomniac Boys where back online, this time as Bongs and Bunkers. 

“Boy, I really wish we would have paid a little more attention to the sales of military grade weapons to your average, everyday citizen.” Taylor said as he stared directly into the camera. 

Micheal shook his head. 

“Hindsight is 20/20 my guy. Wishing to change the past isn’t gonna do shit for us now.” Micheal said.  

Jaxson chuckled, now it was his turn to shake his head. 

“Ahh, ever the Optimus, I’ve always loved that about ya kid.” Jaxson said as he slapped a hand on Micheal’s leg. 

Between the three of them, the men where a tornado of fear, hopelessness, and a delusional level of optimism. The Bunker Boys where like a perfect scale, each man talking turns embodying the only three emotions they had; fear, numbness, and a delusional level of optimism. The men never had a conversation about which of them would embody which emotion; they just naturally gravitated towards one of the three every day. Call it fate, God, or something else, but no two men ever gravitated towards the same state of being, so they always remained in perfect harmony. They would simply wake up, assume their roles, and go about their day. 

“Do you think this war will....” Jaxson’s statement was cut short by a loud thud against the bunker door. 

“Sidney?” The men all said in unison as they looked at one another. 

Sidney was the trio's self-assigned assistant. Since the Bunker Boys where the only ones with internet access, they recorded the podcast on tapes, and Sidney would deliver the tapes to the folks on the front line. At first, the boys tried to discourage Sydney from doing such a dangerous job, but when she explained that this podcast was all that the soldiers had to look forward to, The Bunker Boys realized they couldn’t say no. Of course, Sydney wasn’t out there all alone, she was armed, and traveled with the soldiers, but that didn’t stop the boys didn’t worrying about her.  

“Sorry I’m late, we got roped into a fucking prayer circle, and we all know how long those things can last.” She said with a huff. 

Plopping down onto one of the buckets the guys used for chairs, Sydney huffed as she leaned against Jaxson. 

“People are really digging the pod by the way. This civil war has got everyone fiending for these tapes.” She said, holding up her sac full of food.  

The guys weren’t too thrilled about Sydney crossing a literal war zone, just to give out copies of their podcast tapes, but she loved the thrill. But more than just for the thrill, Sydney truly believed that The Insomniac Podcast was more than just ‘a silly little podcast.’ The Insomniac Podcast was so many people’s sunshine in the middle of a fucking storm, and though they couldn’t stop the war, they were keeping the people informed and entertained. And for Sydney, that was worth risking her life.  

And so, opening up the sac, she cracked open a soda someone had traded, slipped another tape into the recorder, and sat back and watched as her friends did their thing. 

FOR MORE LGBT STORIES, CHECK OUT The Royal Blue Network!

[inkskinned]

nobody ever gets the mugshot of gluttony right. these days you think it has nothing to do with bodyweight. what a good trick: that gluttony could take a shape. no, there was never any fault in finishing a meal or in taking second helpings. it was always in taking from others that there was an issue - the oil baron's fingers steepled over dead bodies and stolen lands. gluttony - twin of greed, although most think greed and envy are the siblings - gluttony is pleased with the experience of gaining, is thrilled just-by-having. greed is the one that stays hungry, that has to move forever like a shark. gluttony likes it - "a glutton for punishment" is one who is seeking the harm, who loves the rush.

gluttony is a mother using her daughter's body for a diet testing ground, sharpening the bone angles. gluttony is saying why, well not! to the seventh and eighth mansion or yacht. it is not just wanting the six white horses, it is making sure that the horses came from your stables. it is not just bathing in milk - it is bathing in milk while others are starving.

oh, it's true that some sins still blaze in their bright floral prints. wrath in a white woman yelling at a person of color for even daring to be in her neighborhood. the red, incipient rage of a neck tightened at even the thought we would take the guns away. wrath has laurels, and she is good at her job, and works hard.

but sloth wasn't ever the sleepy morning of depression, the hours spent begging a clouded body to please move goddamn it; the protestant work ethic claiming even rest is somehow demonic. it was never chronic fatigue. sloth was subtle, a grey mist. she is watching you get bullied and she is deciding it is none of her business. she crosses the picket line because - what! it's just chicken, isn't it? she is closing her eyes and turning her head when the next anti-gay legislation passes. someone else will handle it. not the tense freeze of anxiety or a lack of preparation - she knows you're hurting and would rather you stay quiet about it. she tells other people i just don't see what the big deal is.

sloth is a father that doesn't do the dishes. sloth is your boyfriend's innocent shrug you're just better at household shit. sloth isn't the missed opportunity - it is the purposeful desire to just get-someone-else-to-do-it.

greed and envy are doing body shots in the back of a private jet. they are the way they always have been, but are lovers in the age of the internet. greed just finished union busting, is rolling a bitcoin over his knuckles, is about to start another MLM. envy is in a broadbrimmed hat, showing off her instagram life, grinning about how if you want it, work for it.

okay, it's true. you have a soft spot for lust, gathering dust in a corner. so tame in comparison to the others. but how funny lust is always painted as being a woman in tight clothes. you've met actually lustful women - the ones that purposefully climb into your partner's lap, the ones that say lesbians are gross but ask bisexual women into bed with their husbands. a lustful woman is not donned in lace and garters and red: that's how men think lust looks, painting their own sins into frame. this way, the sin displaces as fog and hovers above her: a woman in a dress is lust; what the man experiences is just the natural consequence.

here is the thing: lust is doing just fine, save your pity. lust is running more circles than any of them. lust is shutting down safe sexwork sites while also making teenagers in knee-high socks sex sensations. lust is CEO of an advertising network where women never pass 25 years old. all the bras lust makes are pretty to look at but, when worn, legitimately hurt. lust has a podcast, his fur coat looped around his shoulders, sells the idea that only certain people have value, that sex raises some and destroys others. lust is tilting his head and asking what did you expect when you dress like that? lust shuns you, sneers that everything you want is disgusting and taboo - right until he can figure out how to capitalize off of it. lust has the midas ability: everything he touches becomes an object.

people usually say wrath is the scary one. you agree with FMA here, though: the real dangerous one is pride, and the shit-eating grin. the white cloaks and the nationalism and the inability to apologize. it is every partner who threw a book at your head because you don't respect him. it is every mother who said my son doesn't deserve to have his life ruined over allegations. it is the teacher that fails you because you talked back.

you worry you have this one. you feel guilty when you need help but don't ask for it. prideful. ashamed when you complete something and feel good about it. too proud for your own good. but pride is not the reward of hard work or accomplishment: pride is a twitter feed. it is the thing that has to mask i didn't do anything with look at me.

pride is your father's raised hand, his raised voice. how he was never there when you needed him, but he is still "head of house." he ruins dinner and blames it on you: you're an embarrassment to this family. this is the glass you walk around, the cuts in your feet. how he says this isn't how i raised you and you have to bite back the retort: that's because you didn't actually fucking raise me.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Petard (Part II)

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2025/01/31/the-blood-speech/#dudeface-from-chiapas

Biden's FCC unanimously passed a rules banning landlords from accepting kickbacks to force all their tenants to use one ISP as a rental condition. Last week, Trump's FCC boss Brendan Carr (who voted for the rule just last year) killed it, saying that he was sticking up for tenants, who would somehow save money from this sleazy arrangement:

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/01/fcc-chair-nixes-plan-to-boost-broadband-competition-in-apartment-buildings/

In some ways, this is to be expected. The Trump agenda is about trussing and plating working people so rich sociopaths can conveniently devour them whole. On the other hand, this move lays bare the long-run historical phenomena that led to this moment. Case in point: back in 2013, I wrote a sf story about this very subject, Petard, which was published in MIT Tech Review's 2014 anthology Twelve Tomorrows, edited by Bruce Sterling:

https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262535595/twelve-tomorrows-2014/

I love that story, and upon re-reading it, I realized that it was extremely timely. So timely, in fact, that I decided to serialize it over four days on my newsletter. If you're feeling impatient, you can tune into a four-part podcast version from 2014 and 2018:

https://archive.org/details/Cory_Doctorow_Podcast_278

https://archive.org/details/Cory_Doctorow_Podcast_292

https://archive.org/details/Cory_Doctorow_Podcast_293

https://archive.org/details/Cory_Doctorow_Podcast_294_-_Petard_04

Here's part one of the story:

https://pluralistic.net/2025/01/30/landlord-telco-industrial-complex/#part-one

And now, onto part two!

My advisor is named Andronicus Andronicus Niyazov, and her parents had a sense of humor, clearly. She founded the Networks That Change lab three years ago after she fled Kazakhstan one step ahead of Gulnara's death-squad, but they say that she still provides material aid to the army of babushkas that underwent forced sterilization under old man Karimov's brutal regime. Her husband, Arzu, lost an eye in Gezi. They're kind of a twitter uprising power-couple.

I'm the only undergrad in the lab, and the grad students were slathering at the thought of having a bottle-washing dogsbody in residence. Someone to clean out the spam filters, lexically normalize the grant proposals, deworm the Internet of Things, get the limescale out of the espresso machine, and defragment the lab's prodigious store of detritus, kipple and moop.

Two days after telling them all where they could stick it, I got a meeting in AA's cube.

"Sit down, Lukasz," she said. My birth certificate read "Lucas," but I relished the extra consonants. I perched on a tensegrity chair that had been someone grad student's laser-cutter thesis project. It creaked like a haunted attic and its white acrylic struts were grubby as a snowbank a day after the salting trucks. AA's chair was patched with steeltape, huge black cocoony gobs of it. And it still creaked.

I waited patiently. My drop was in my overalls' marsupial pouch, and I stuffed my hands in there, curling my fingers around it and kneading it. It comforted me. AA closed the door.

"Do you know why my lab doesn't have any undergrads?" she asked.

I gave it another moment to test for rhetoricalness, timed out, then gave it a shot. "You don't want to screw around with getting someone up to speed. You want to get the wo rk done."

"Don't be stupid. Grad students need as much hand-holding as undergrads. No, it's because undergrads are full of the dramas. And the dramas are not good for getting the work done."

"Andronicus," I said, "I'm not the one you should be talking to –" I felt a flush creeping up my neck — "they –"

She fixed me with a look that froze my tongue and dried the spit in my mouth. "I spent four years in Dolinka prison in Kazakhstan. Three of my cellmates committed suicide. One of them bled out on me from the top bunk while I slept. I woke covered in her blood.." She looked at her screen, snagged her attention on it, ignored me for a minute while she typed furiously. Turned back. "What did your labmates do, Lukasz, that you would like to talk to me about?"

"Nothing," I mumbled. I hated being dismissed like this. Of course she could trump anything I was inclined to complain about. But it was so… invalidating.

"Never forget that there is blood in the world's veins, Lukasz. You've done something clever with your years on this planet. You're here to see if you can figure out how to do something important, now. We want to systematize the struggle here, figure out how to automate it, but eventually there will always be blood. You need to learn to be dispassionate about the interpersonal conflicts, to save your anger for the people who deserve it, and to channel that anger into a theory of action that leads to change. Otherwise, you will be an undergraduate who worries about being picked on."

"I know –" I said. "I know. Sorry."

She held out a hand to stop me fleeing. "Lukasz, there is change to be had out there. It waits for us to discover its fulcrums. That's the research project here. But the reason for the research is the change. It's to be the bag of blood in the streets or the board-room or the prison. That's what you're learning to do here."

I didn't say anything. She turned back to her screen. Her fingers beat the keyboard. I left.

I pretended not to notice three of AA's grad students hastily switching off their infrared laser-pointers as I opened her glass door and walked back out to the lab. Everyone, including AA, knew that they'd been listening in, but the formal characteristics of our academic kabuki required us all to pretend that I'd just had a private conversation.

I pulled my laptop out of my bag and uncrumpled its bent corners. I'd only made it a week before and I didn't have time or energy to fold up another one. It was getting pretty battered in my bag, though, the waxed cardboard shell getting more worn and creased in less time than ever before. Not even my most extreme couch-surfing voyages had been this hard on my essential equipment. The worst part was that the keyboard surface had gotten really smashed — I think I'd closed up the box with a sharpie trapped inside it — so the camera that watched my fingers as they typed on the letters printed on the cardboard sheet was having a hard time getting the registration right. I'd mashed the spot where the backspace was drawn so many times that I'd worn the ink off and had to redraw it (more sharpie — a cardboard laptop owner's best friend).

Now the screen was starting to go, the little short-throw projector attached to the pinhead-sized computer taped inside the back of the box was misreading the geometry of the mirror it bounced the screen image off of, which keystoned and painted the image on the rice-paper scrim set into the laptop's top half. The image was only off by about 10 degrees, but it was enough to screw up the touchscreen registration and give me a mild headache after only a couple hours of staring at it. I'd noticed that a lot of the MIT kids carried big plastic and metal and glass laptops, which had seemed like some kind of weird retro affectation. But campus life was more of an off-road experience than I'd suspected.

But I'd never go glass-and-plastic. AA thought that the way to win a war was to shed your blood. I have a limited supply of blood. There's a lot more cardboard out there. Why fight with meat and blood when you can use free infrastructure and good code to organize a resistance. You'll never win a war of atoms against the Powers That Be. They'll always have more lethal atoms. When they're hitting you with a baton, your glass-and-plastic number will crumple just as surely as a cardboard laptop. The best way to beat a policeman's baton was to be somewhere else when he was swinging it.

I spent fifteen minutes unfolding the laser-cut cardboard and smoothing out the creases, re-sticking everything with fiber-tape from an office-supply table in the middle of the lab, and then running through the registration and diagnostics built into the OS until the computer was in a usable state again. The whole time, I was hotly conscious of the grad students' sneaky gaze on me, the weird clacking noise of their fingers on real mechanical keyboards — seriously, who used a keyboard that was made of pieces anymore? Was I really going to have to do that? — as their chatted about me.

Yes, about me. It's not (just) ego: I could tell. I can prove it. I was barely back up and running and answering all my social telephones when some dudeface from Chiapas sat down conspicuously next to me and said, "It's Lukasz, right?" He held out his hand.

I looked at it for a moment, just to make the point, then shook. "Yeah. You're Juanca, right?" Of course he was Juanca. He'd been burned in effigy by Zetas every year for four years, and his entire family, all the way to third cousins, were either stateside or in Guatemala or El Salvador, hiding out from narcoterrorists who were still pissed about Juanca's anonymizer, a mixmaster that was the number one go-to source of convictable evidence against Zeta members whose cases went to trial. If it wasn't for the fact that Juanca's network had also busted an assload of corrupt cops, prosecutors, judges, government ministers, regional governors and one Secretary of State, they'd have given him a ministerial posting and a medal. As it was, he was in exile. Famous. Loved. It helped that he was rakishly handsome — which I am not, for the record — and that he had a bounty on his head and had been unsuccessfully kidnapped on the T, getting away through some badass parkour that got captured in CCTV jittercam that made him look like he was moving in a series of short teleports.

"Yeah. You got the blood speech, huh?"

I nodded.

"It's a good one," he said. I didn't think so. I thought it was bullshit. I didn't say so.

We stared at each other. "Welp," he said. "Take it easy."

[zuzla33]

The Social Network * J.Edgar * Mirror Mirror * The Lone Ranger * The Man from U.N.C.L.E * The Bird of a Nation * Nocturnal Animals * Free Fire * Mine * Final Portret * Sorry to Bother You * Hotel Mumbai * On the Basis of Sex * Wounds * Rebecca * Crisis * Death on the Nile ... and many others

but only ONE SINGLE SHOT from his filmography in the jingle of his podcast

[celinamarniss]

Is it the ten-year anniversary of Star Wars Campaign? Happy anniversary!!!

[wellcomeoneileen]

Why does Randy Harrison deserve compensation? What happened to him? You can DM me if it's not okay to be public

Hey! No it’s totally okay.

⚠️disclaimer - I am a NEW fan and so I am NOT the most informed at all. Other people like @brian-kinney-apologist like really know shit. I initially found things bc watching S4 made me go oh there is bts shit going on for sure and googled, and then when I got on tumblr I saw a bunch of posts talking about it, too.

Lots of older sources are harder to find now bc they didn’t do a digital preservation or the website is expired, but here is what I’ve found, from heated Advocate articles whilst the show aired and then from more measured reflections from podcasts around 2016.

Randy was young and it was his first TV show - when he started he didn’t even have an agent, and really didn’t know what he was getting into. He had done sex scenes on stage and thought that he was pretty prepared for what was to come.

However, he has stated he ended up feeling pretty objectified, such as hearing “we need more shots of Justin’s ass” regularly or expressing a desire to not to go-go dancing type scenes (King of Babylon upset him) and then even more go-go dancing being added (S2 Sap scenes). He was also told to act less gay by casting directors for the show, and to “try to be more butch because Justin isn’t out of the closet”

The show pre-dates intimacy coordinators and there have been allusions, including from the actresses Thea and Michelle, that the sex scenes could be uncomfortable to film.

There was BTS clashing, with producer Tony Jones !!reportedly!!! Saying that Randy was a bitch to work with and “showrunners” “reportedly” saying they would never work with Randy again. There are two interview clips, one from when the show was airing, and one from 2016, when CowLip say they wanted all actors to be comfortable on set, and in BOTH clips , like 15 years apart, Randy kinda like laugh/roll his eyes and Gale looks at him very bemusedly. They had bigger reactions in the ~2003 clip.

He was openly pretty angry as the show went on. He told the Advocate that he would never be friends with or respect Justin if real. He disapproved of the Britin relationship. He said he had to fight to include the scene of Justin topping Brian, which was very important to him. Leading into season 5 he stated he hoped Justin was killed off by getting hit by a truck (obviously being glib, but like he was mad lol)

He has said that lots of scenes needed to be reshot because he struggled to do them so much, like the Cody sexy gun scene that made him so uncomfortable, and then either he or Gale said S5 sex scenes were reshot a lot because they just couldn’t stop laughing at that point anymore.

Peter and Scott recently have said the only time anyone asked for actors’ opinions was right after season 1 ended, and to ME they sounded kinda cheeky about it, all these years later, so perhaps it was a cast sticking point? Unsure, and it wasn’t even Randy who said that. Fat grain of salt.

He has more recently reflected on this time period and expressed regret he went out the way he did, and he understands things better and honors his craft more (heavy paraphrasing!) bc he was mentally checked out by the end and wishes he had finished strong instead.

Also, the cast didn’t realize when signing on how isolated they would be from The Industry. Randy has spoken about this in an unrelated podcast, as have the actors who play Ted and Emmett. NYC or LA are where you want to be for networking, and then signing on to spend the majority of the year in Toronto negatively impacted their careers, they feel. Randy has said he had to start from scratch after the show ended, and Peter and Scott have said Showtime had no idea how to market the show nor their stars, and so they had to just watch as all the initial hype fizzled and nothing was done with them. They were contracted to work too much to seriously be involved elsewhere, while simultaneously not getting good exposure, which I IMAGINE created a dire sort of mood and morale on set. < personal interpretation and fictionalizing history.

Meaning, Randy probably at the very least FELT like he had spent five years on a show that didn’t respect him and it was largely for nothing. He has since stated he appreciates the opportunity and it is the reason he was finically secure, for which he is deeply grateful.

And then finally the fans! He had stalker(s?) and tons of creepy people and was heavily typecast and people would come up to him frequently, which made him uncomfy, and would furthermore act like he was actually Justin, which made him super uncomfy. He was kinda like Chappell Roan!! He was like hey I’m not Justin I’m a person and y’all are freaks. He has publicially declined to speak on the stalking issues, which given his vocal responses to other issues, indicates to ME that it’s pretty personal and upsetting (I mean it’s stalking it’s obviously horrible but you know what I mean). During the show he had a boyfriend that fans like tormented online and even on posters (that bit comes from Tumblr or another forum, so not like verified info on my part at all) because they shipped “Gandy” so hard. I know I’ve read on tumblr about the insane Gandy people but all I remember is they were intense and insane and negatively impacted Randy’s actual real life. Again, that’s info from fans that I haven’t read in article or heard from out of his mouth. Secondary source lol.

This point is PURE speculation, but early interviews with the whole cast were super excited, and they all talked about how excited they were for something ground breaking. By the end, people were angry or giving fluff responses, or in Peter’s case; calmly stating the show was a soap opera and that’s okay. I FEEL like everyone thought they were signing up for something more real/gritty/positive impact to society and then were like oh I’m here to look hot in this show that only moms watch to get them turned on to have sex with their husband. Cool.

Now, do I agree with that - no. But, the show audience was vastly different than expected, and the artistic direction might have been too, both of which might have really disappointed people. Esp Randy and maybe Gale. Randy was a capital T theatre person, and Gale was too and had lots of experimental work and like performance art. Randy has ALSO expressed displeasure with some theater work he did because he didn’t think it was fresh and the audience was only older wealthy white people, so we do know that this sort of thing does matter to his sense of fulfillment at work.

TLDR; had to shoot scenes he didn’t want to, several times, felt objectified on set, disagreed with his character’s direction, maybe felt like he wasn’t being listened to artistically, was cut off from other work opportunities, didn’t appear to get along with leadership, had bad fans, was young and in deep over his head, and at the very least *started* with no career or social support system.

Again!! Am not the most knowledgeable person !!! I do NOT want to spread misinformation so hopefully I’ve tagged where I’m reading into things vs actual quotes but also people who have actually been around pls feel free to say 🙋um actuallllyyyyy

[eisforeidolon]

During her appearance as a guest on the spnthenandnow podcast, Cindy claimed the Dean was Ben's father, even though Jensen and Eric refuted this.

Yeah, some over invested Dean/Lisa shipper wrote up a whole ridiculous article about it [X] a while back.

Like, especially with the show going on fifteen seasons, often revisiting things, and having such an active fandom? I get how fans came to fixate on random characters or storylines they personally liked or wanted to see more of. Even (or especially) when those things were a very minor part of canon - or actually just their own fanfic and not canon at all. Including things TPTB explicitly shot down, because the show was on long enough to change who TPTB were multiple times. Meanwhile, fans feeling entitled to have media they like catered to their personal wants or they'll throw massive tantrums is an unfortunate overall trend in recent years across fandom, not just an issue with SPN. Not likeable, but I see how it happens.

What I haven't really seen outside of SPN, though? Is such a slew of entitled minor supporting actors trying to claim greater importance to a canon they were barely a part of for their own aggrandizement and hopes of being brought back. Like, the boon of ongoing cons isn't enough for them, they see all that SPN $$$ and want more of it directed their way.

You have Kim declaring she would just refuse to appear if they killed off Jody. You have Kim and Brianna bragging about deserving a spin-off where they'd show the boys how it's really done -and then throwing embarrassing public tantrums on SM when the network gave it the pass it deserved. You have Rob and Rich doing a podcast where it's not only obvious they don't actually like or respect the show? But they can't even be bothered to pay attention as they 'watch' it to milk the fandom through promises of insider info. Which aside from their own barely-there and therefore hardly expert insider status? Includes such, uh, gems as Cindy randomly claiming years after the fact Ben was actually Dean's kid and she totes played it that way - despite the canon and despite Kripke's explicit denial back when it was remotely relevant (as well as Jensen's).

All of this from people where not a one of them was involved in more than around 20ish of 327 episodes. But saying things certain over-invested fans want to hear gets them attention, $$$, and just might make them seem like 'fan favorites' that should be brought back! Yeah.

[charmac]

"Caution on scene where Dennis sho[ws/ots] video footage of him masturbating a dog & [w/t]hen Dennis holds up a Tupperware container."

I've been wondering if the "him" in this sentence does not actually refer to Dennis (could be Cricket or a new character?). Because wouldn't it say, "..video footage of him masturbating a dog & [w/t]hen HE holds up a Tupperware container." Idk I feel like it's phrased a bit weirdly. But maybe I'm clutching ar straws because I'm struggling to envision a situation in which Dennis would willingly do that (and film it??). He doesn't even like dogs! 😂

I definitely went there as well!

The grammar being wrong really hinges on if it says “when” or “then”. I initially thought it said then, which means it would be strange to repeat Dennis as the subject of a continuing sentence, but if it says “when”, it’s indicative of this being two different shots, hence the re-establishment of Dennis would make sense. (i.e. Page 26 has two scenes, this is a warning of Dennis in scene X where he does the dog, and Dennis in scene Y where he shows the Tupperware container.) If it is one scene, though, stating Dennis twice is odd.

In either case, I think the real ability to interpret this from a grammatical stand point comes down to me (and probably everyone here?) being completely unfamiliar with how FX gives their Practices & Standards Notes to Rob for Sunny...

If the volume of notes is so great that they break it down related to each character (Frank, for example, cos this seems like something they’d soo put Danny through), it would make sense that they’d only name a character who is not the subject of the note. So maybe the heading says “Frank” and then goes by page for each action and warning, using the pronoun to refer to the main subject and naming the other characters in the scene…

But.. are there a ton of notes for Sunny? I mean, you’d maybe think so based on the content of the show, but this is FX, you can do way more here than you can on network TV so they’d likely be subject to fewer notes. In which case it would just be points from the script, by page broadly, and the pronoun “he” would really have to refer to Dennis in a stand-alone paragraph.

So while the grammar does strike me as possibly indicative of greater missing context, it really might just be the result of Sunny being on FX for 20 years now, and communication like this ending up casual and a little rushed. (Like, there’s clearly a missing “the” before the word “scene”, I’m not sure the person writing this even proofread lmfao)

It’s definitely an interesting thread to pull on, though! Dennis does hate dogs pretty consistently. Orchestrating and presenting something like this but not being/refusing to be the one to actually get his hands dirty seems more on-par with his character… but context is definitely gonna be everything here.

And I do wanna reiterate how clear Glenn and Charlie have made it to me (and in podcasts recently) that they really do care about the character’s motivations, and in 16 especially forward, they’re prioritising characterisation over slotting their characters into a role for sake of the plot. If something seems so blatantly out of character, I have faith the context will make it make sense. It’s Sunny, so maybe it will be gross and abhorrent, but it really won’t be out of character.

[grifff17]

Audiodrama Sunday 2/9/2025

Happy Audiodrama Sunday! So much good stuff this week. Ylelmore season finale, Courier's Call season premiere, a great reveal in Unend, and Lost Terminal is back!

NEW SHOW ALERT At the Bottom of the Garden - Interesting show, I’m not sure I’ve ever listened to an audiodrama quite like this. I’m still unclear how much of this show is fiction, which I think is by design.

@storiesfromylelmore - the hard cut from Elas’s drama to Keryth and Rion in complete chaos with the river monster was incredible. Loved the sneaky little post credit scene. A character in the universe of a podcast listening to the podcast is such a funny premise. I'm sad the season is done already, it feels like it just started.

@midstpodcast - Oh shit some remnants of the Trust are still around. Great worldbuilding in this episode. The naturalist is Tziela???? That's such a crazy thing to reveal so casually.

Skyjacks: Courier’s Call - The kids are back together! Kieran’s haircut being a reminder of Alba is actually heartbreaking. I'm curious to see what happens when June meets back up with her parents, they did not part on good terms.

@campaignskyjacks - Random thoughts as I continue to listen through this show: I love Captain Orimar but he’s truly terrifying. Gable is a fallen angel? The scars on their back are from their wings! I really want to learn more about the Church of the Slain God. It’s insane that Dref is the most normal of the PCs.

Starwhal: Odyssey - “Have you ever fucked a Hydra” is such a great hard ending to an episode. I'm so excited to see the Usegoni try to capture and transport a living Hydra.

Find Us Alive - back from the hiatus! I would absolutely attend Hole!. Building a scale model of the place you’re trapped in in Minecraft is hilarious. And holy shit they’ve made contact with the outside! I had theorized that the memetic effect somehow prevented the outside signal from coming through while Harley was in the room, but I guess not.

@lostterminalpod - Its back for a new season! What is this weird cyborg monster? This has become a comfort shot for me and it's so nice to be hearing from Seth again.

@breakerwhiskey - I finally caught up on last 2 listener messages and responses. It makes me want to submit one. I never got around to submitting a question to either of the fictional advice shows I listen to, though, so I doubt I ever will.

I'm realizing that I listened to 3 different One Shot Podcast Network shows this week. They just make exactly the style of APs that I enjoy: narrative heavy, rules light, collaborative, audio only, and not DnD.

[windienine]

it's been a hot minute! i'm so happy to announce that you can now listen to the tenth episode of the chuubo's podcast over on the one shot network patreon!

[esperanzagalaxy]

when i was, unbelievably, commissioned by the one shot podcast network to make posters for the ''into the wood'' arc of skyjacks, i was given such a complete document to go off of, that there was barely any brain-bashing design work to be done. all i needed to do was this little lineup! and i adore making thumbnails, so i'm sharing the initial ones too. the jonnit & orimar side went with E instantly, while gable and travis needed pleeeenty more tries after these to get to the final composition. isn't it all just so nice to see?

[the-royal-blue-network]

Jaxson Rivers adjusted the camera, tilting it this way and that way until he and his two other co-host, Micheal and Taylor, where perfectly in frame. After hitting the red record button, a soft beep sounded as Jaxson took a seat between his best friends. Then, picking up his mic, he took a deep breath and looked straight into the camera.  

“Well hello anarchist! I’m one of your handsome hosts, Jaxson Rivers.” Said Jaxson as he gripped his mic with both hands. 

“And I’m your even better-looking host, Taylor Hunt, this handsome Hunk’s husband.” Taylor said, as he elbowed Micheal.   

“And I am Micheal Hunt, arguably the best-looking host on this show. And you’re listening to, Bunkers and Bongs, your favorite informative, yet bat shit crazy news podcast. Apple Jax, how’s the war?” Micheal said, turning to his co-host. 

Jaxson opened his mouth to respond when a loud bang went off, causing their drinking glasses, and the plywood serving as their table, to rattle. 

“Well, it’s still going on, that’s for sure.” Jaxson said, looking directly into the camera. 

Hosting a podcast in the middle of a war zone was indeed as bat shit crazy as it sounded. But Bunkers and Bongs hadn't always been so hectic. There was a time when Bunkers and Bongs was known as ‘The Insomniac Podcast’. Back then, Jaxson, Micheal, and Taylor’s lives were quite normal. Before the war, Jaxson, Micheal, and Taylor recorded their podcast in a proper studio; they had employees and they made money through brand deals, merch sales, and donations from their listeners.  

Back then, before the civil war began, The Insomniacs, as they called themselves, had Roth IRAs and other investments, they had partners and an office which they ran their operations out of, and they had their whole lives mapped out. 

But then the war started and much like the small town they lived in, all The Bunker Boys’s lives went up in flames.  

.... 

Before the war, The Bunker Boys were known as The Tree Boys, and their podcast, Bongs N Things, was all about THC, CBD, and LGBT news. 

But now, that was no longer the case, six and a half years ago, The Bunker Boys, and everyone around them, chose to write off all those who tried to warn them. 

It was 2024 when it all began, anti-LGBTQ legislation was being written and in acted like movies hitting the box office. Every week there was a new law being enacted, and The Hall Monitors, a group of older gay men who had a love of law, started a blog, detailing all that was happening in every state. The Hall Monitors had friends in high places who would inform them of what was happening on the federal level, and The Hall Monitors tried to spread the news; but with very little knowledge about how to work their devices, and even less about how social media worked, The Hall Monitors' message failed to reached a wide enough audience. The Monitors tried to use the popular publications to get the news in the paper, but no one was really reading the paper anymore, at least not the local ones that The Monitors had access to. 

Eventually, when people finally did realize what was going on, their neighborhoods where already filled with men dressed in cameo uniforms, and the entire country was now under total government control.  

For some, the uniformed men weren’t a problem; that is until they widened their scope of targets, going from targeting just LGBT folks, to then targeting people with disabilities, people who held jobs that the government deemed as ‘unimportant’, or just anyone the government saw as a threat. And of course, all the ‘die hard citizens’, the bigots, and all those who opposed any and everyone who decided to go against the grain, they joined the government, and soon, the entire country was divided into two halves, and all hell broke loose. 

But a civil war? The country of Deston, where The Insomniacs used to live, could handle a simple civil war; hell, their country started with a civil war! But this war was far greater than any civil war the world had ever seen before. Both halves of this war didn’t just have bombs, guns, and tanks, they also had concoctions that could raise the dead and powders that if inhaled, would allow the makers of that powder to fully control whoever had ingested it. 

All the while, while the citizens of Deston were busy killing one another, The Insomniacs were simply trying to get as far away from the chaos as possible. But when the lock down came, Jaxson, Micheal, and Taylor got trapped in Deston, and they figured they were going to die there. So, the trio found a bunker, and they hid out. For days, they just sat in the bunker and did their best not to get involved in the fight. 

Friends of the boys, who had been forced into the fight, would come by the bunker to check on the trio; they brought snacks and updates about what was happening, and luckily for the boys, prior to starting the podcast, Taylor and Micheal worked as nurses, so they were able to patch up the soldiers in exchange for protection. 

Eventually, Micheal somehow managed to find their old studio amongst the rubble, and through a sheer act of God, all their recording equipment was able to be salvaged, and after convincing the general, of the small army they’d been staying with, to allow them to use the army’s internet, The Insomniac Boys where back online, this time as Bongs and Bunkers. 

“Boy, I really wish we would have paid a little more attention to the sales of military grade weapons to your average, everyday citizen.” Taylor said as he stared directly into the camera. 

Micheal shook his head. 

“Hindsight is 20/20 my guy. Wishing to change the past isn’t gonna do shit for us now.” Micheal said.  

Jaxson chuckled, now it was his turn to shake his head. 

“Ahh, ever the Optimus, I’ve always loved that about ya kid.” Jaxson said as he slapped a hand on Micheal’s leg. 

Between the three of them, the men where a tornado of fear, hopelessness, and a delusional level of optimism. The Bunker Boys where like a perfect scale, each man talking turns embodying the only three emotions they had; fear, numbness, and a delusional level of optimism. The men never had a conversation about which of them would embody which emotion; they just naturally gravitated towards one of the three every day. Call it fate, God, or something else, but no two men ever gravitated towards the same state of being, so they always remained in perfect harmony. They would simply wake up, assume their roles, and go about their day. 

“Do you think this war will....” Jaxson’s statement was cut short by a loud thud against the bunker door. 

“Sidney?” The men all said in unison as they looked at one another. 

Sidney was the trio's self-assigned assistant. Since the Bunker Boys where the only ones with internet access, they recorded the podcast on tapes, and Sidney would deliver the tapes to the folks on the front line. At first, the boys tried to discourage Sydney from doing such a dangerous job, but when she explained that this podcast was all that the soldiers had to look forward to, The Bunker Boys realized they couldn’t say no. Of course, Sydney wasn’t out there all alone, she was armed, and traveled with the soldiers, but that didn’t stop the boys didn’t worrying about her.  

“Sorry I’m late, we got roped into a fucking prayer circle, and we all know how long those things can last.” She said with a huff. 

Plopping down onto one of the buckets the guys used for chairs, Sydney huffed as she leaned against Jaxson. 

“People are really digging the pod by the way. This civil war has got everyone fiending for these tapes.” She said, holding up her sac full of food.  

The guys weren’t too thrilled about Sydney crossing a literal war zone, just to give out copies of their podcast tapes, but she loved the thrill. But more than just for the thrill, Sydney truly believed that The Insomniac Podcast was more than just ‘a silly little podcast.’ The Insomniac Podcast was so many people’s sunshine in the middle of a fucking storm, and though they couldn’t stop the war, they were keeping the people informed and entertained. And for Sydney, that was worth risking her life.  

And so, opening up the sac, she cracked open a soda someone had traded, slipped another tape into the recorder, and sat back and watched as her friends did their thing.  

[unitchiefs-blackbirdphoenix]

CME 17x06 Reaction/Spoilers Pt. 2 (The Jemily Ep)

Had to split into a second part lol. The first part is here. (thanks once again @blackbirdsaltzman!)

JJ not wanting Emily to quit :(

Luke speaking Spanish! Luke speaking Spanish! I called it for this season!

Omg Luke saying he still loves Penelope 😭😭😭

"Dating a coworker is a bad idea" omg

Rossi and Voit again

Video games? Hmm

Quest games?

Idk a lot of shit about conspiracy theories but do video games really help structure them?

Jade and Damien are searching for clues...

Voit's so done with him haha

"North Star is where it all starts"

"when you're lost and desperate and on a quest. all you want is something to connect the dots."

Jade and Damien might want to blame this North Star

Stuart House possibly was used to create serial killers... huh.

I mean, he's not wrong. A profile is an educated guess.

Yoo wtf Gasper

Back at the Stuart House

Dang Tyler

Luke and Tyler about movies! Omg I might actually like this beginning of a possibly beautiful friendship lol

"Hoo-ah!" Luke my boy! They're totally going to have movie marathons together now after that case hahahaha

Jemily scene #4 🥰😭👀🥺 (I have so many thoughts on this that it deserves a completely separate post)

I fucking called it! Chopsticks is now a jemily thing!!

Omg wait

Jemily is now officially cheetobreath stoner X salt and vinegar chip stoner (+chopsticks as their child 🥰)!!!

JJ's still so far gone lol "These are brilliant" as she's playing with her chopsticks

"All those years with cheesy fingers?" and the little mind-blown🤯 is so cute. JJ learning it from Emily now ahhh

"Shit. What was I talking about?" JJ swearing again yesss hahaha

"Gideon, Hotch, what do they have in common?" They're all men. Oh. That works too.

"They left. The two of us, we were kicked out." I honestly thought JJ was going to say "fucking kicked out" here ngl

"we're still here, Emily. We are stronger than anyone gives us credit for" oh 🥺

JJ finally getting fed up with Emily saying she'll quit. She doesn't want Emily to quit 🥺

"I didn't quit on you in Paris." Paris mention! Also ouch.

"You didn't quit on me after my miscarriage" "Oh, god damn it" Double ouch!! And JJ's voice shaking when she says it omg 😭😭

So Emily canonically knows about JJ's miscarriage then. I got a little one shot if you want to read it hehe (may be another on the way...)

"This job takes a lot, but you know what it gives? It gives me... y-you" oh FUCK 😭😭😭 my heart!!

Shipping or not, this is such a powerful moment for JJ and Emily. And this whole scene was definitely also a huge fuck you to CBS and a nod to what AJ and Paget went through in season 6 behind the scenes with the network. I highly recommend listening to AJ and Paget's podcast eps in Michael Kahan's "Funny in Failure" on youtube or anywhere you listen to podcasts on.

And yes, I got a whole lotta thoughts behind this scene.

"I'll support you, I will. Always." Omg JJ 😭😭😭

The way JJ looks at Emily before looking away and starting to cry aaaahhh 😭 and Emily looking at JJ 🥺 god I love this ship so much!! You can never take away their relationship and special connection from me or JJ or Emily, no matter how hard you try!

"Oh shit, it's Rossi" another shit from JJ haha

Emily deciding she'll stay bc of JJ. For JJ's sake 🥺 fuuuuuck I love them so goddamn much

“Grab your keys, let’s fucking roll” ok love JJ and Emily swearing in the same scene hahaha

JJ's "yes!" hahaha she's like "I knew it would work"

"I can't- I can't drive" lol "Rideshare?" There's a missing scene in the rideshare car ride huh?

Omg not the howl 😭

I seriously feel like they're trying to set Luke and Teresa up

Lol not JJ chugging down water 😭😭 she's still out of it

Also girly how are you fully standing right now??

JJ trying to focus but she's still "wooo" like she was trying to focus on the papers in Emily's hands

Not her shaking it off when Emily hands them to her omg. AJ thank you for that

So Gideon and Rossi were working on drafts for this assignment of the study of serial killers, a hypothetical scenario

Isolation in worse conditions.... controlled and directed?

But who would else would know about Gold Star?

"North Star is us, the BAU."

Oof the last shot of the team (and Tyler ig) being a "star" around the roundtable ooooh

And that's it! Also request to have more high/stoned jemily content for future seasons??

[mushroomhattime]

Hasan Piker Midwest Princess Chapter 1, Trauma! at the Gay Bar

This is the first chapter of a fic I've been frankensteining from a non related series of one shots I never intended on posting but once it reached fifty pages I was like, I feel like its more psycho if I don't post it? Mad respect to all of the work Hasan does; fanfic is a coping mechanism, sorry to this man. If I didn't see that podcast episode of him telling the TikTok edit people he doesn't care I would not have posted. I'll post a (y/n) version soon. My first slow burn! Well ig you can decide if its slowburn lol.

Warnings: Slight homophobia, bad date, swearing, allusion to older sibling trauma, x OC but will post a y/n

Forty five minutes before:

“You’re meeting him alone? And you drove there? Where did you park? How far is your walk? Are you armed? I shouldn’t need to say this but we are not in Kansas anymore, Dorth-” The audio is crackling through one damaged earbud but the gist is communicated well enough to be annoying.

“Yeah you’re right, you don’t need to say this. I literally wrote those things down in a packet for you. It’s in a garage, we’re meeting in a public place, he’s gay, I’m literally almost there now, and I have everything that I send in my bi-annual safety package.” It was a bit biting, but nothing anyone wasn’t used to. “I’m going to forgive your attitude because you’re just not used to it, but it's high time I start parenting you instead.” The woman being scolded lets out a scoff, but decides to let it go. “Okay, I gotta go, love you.” As if knowing she was on the way to hang up, the girl on the line speaks lightning fast:  “Love you, I’m serious, text me. I’ll see you tomorrow!”

Their call ends and the man in question is immediately visible upon entering, as it is too early for fog, strobes, colored lights, or dancers. He was sat in a booth, wearing noticeably much different hair and clothes than usual with a look of concern.  She approaches, more curious than scared. “Hey Matt, how are you?”

Now:

This little outing really was not going to plan. Here she was, thinking what a great networking connection, I wonder why he took an interest in me, he must have a project in mind. Now, the two sat awkwardly, twiddling their thumbs and looking at the table between them as a massive misunderstanding had just unfolded not even a half hour in. Despite still hanging in the wake of an argument, the man on the south side of the booth elects to open his mouth again.

"I cannot fucking believe you thought I was gay. Why would you even say to me, Vivian?" This did not go over well with his audience. Vivian looked up from her now ripped up napkin, eyes bulging and mouth agape. She was really reaching for a way to be nice in spite of everything, in the not-so-rare case this comes back to bite her. It took a lot of effort to hold back her flabbergasted laughs in her rebuttal.

"I'm sorry, Matt. You’re obviously offended. But, I just used context clues: this is an internationally notorious gay bar." She motions around the place as the scantily clad, male dancers start their shift with her hand. The resulting look on Matt's face could be described as potent horror. After a moment, he shakes it off and his face relaxes, like he had just reloaded back to a point in the night where nothing had ever happened. "You know what, I can forgive you. Let's just get outta here and go somewhere where there's people I can show you off to." Matt had a wide grin on his face. He must’ve felt ingenious, but now it's Vivan's turn to wretch. There was no other direction to go. She almost starts laughing again when she says, "Um, I agreed to meet you alone under the pretense that you were gay and on business. On what planet does that mean I’d want to go out with you?"

Thankfully, Vivian had the foresight to start texting under the table since the beginning of the straight reveal. Even more convenient than calling her smug sister back, she had noticed her (hopefully) savior earlier, who she’d been to this bar with before. She hadn't checked if he’d be in town at the time because of work and family plans on top of her being too nervous to meet his friends that she’d definitely be introduced to. But now, it was clear one fear was worse than the other. This is the text conversation they had while she tried to navigate this tantrum:

V: Austin

A: Vivvvv!!

V: Are you at The Abbey rn?

A: omg how did you know did someone post something?

V: No I'm here can I come over there

A: WHAT

V: this guy from work invited me I assumed he was gay bc he suggested it but its bad

A: NO NOT THAT of course you can come over, come over now, I'm just shocked you DIDN'T FUCKING TELL ME YOU WERE COMING.

Seconds later and without further coordination, Austin starts yelling, creating the perfect excuse to leave just as she starts gathering her things post rejection.

"GUYS, VIVIAN IS HERE. YOU GET TO MEET VIVIAN!!!!!" Followed by several gasps and chatter. She whipped around to 'see what the noise was.' When she turns back to Matt Vivian starts speaking at hyper speed. "Oh my God, that's my friend Austin! I should say hi. I Gotta go, thanks for the drink!" And she was out of there before he could say a word about how obvious that was. 

Through the suddenly large crowd of people it took her a second to reach Austin’s group but as soon as she did the aforementioned introductions began. "Guys, this is my best friend Vivian, we met in college! She's helped with some of my shows before.” He names every member off before getting out of the booth and patting the seat cushion. She sends him a questioning glance when he doesn’t just scooch over, but he doesn’t give her any time to ask. “I'm so excited, you turned up at the perfect time. We're pre-recording the podcast this week before the convention in Japan, so everyone is around." Once she climbed in, he followed, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and sandwiching her between him and a friend.

The girls seem friendly enough but the guilt, especially from having seen any amount of their content before, persisted. "I'm so sorry to intrude. I was trying to find a way to escape the guy I'm with and then I saw you guys." After ingesting and enjoying some of their work to support Austin, it was difficult for Vivian to not feel like a fan interrupting their night for a picture. However, she did find a little relief in Maya, QT, and Caroline in unison all saying things like: "Of course!", "Don't be sorry!", and "It's nice to finally meet you!". While she was busy learning everyone's names, or more like acting, Austin decided to glance around for the perpetrator. He locked eyes with a man getting out of the booth he saw her leave from. He shakes his head when he starts heading their direction, and Matt changes course for the door without much more persuasion. Maya notices, but he motions for her to say nothing.

-------

To Vivian's surprise, it ended up being a really fun, guilt free night. Now, it was almost one in the morning and all had begun to trail out after agreeing on another day to get together in a couple months during her next work trip. Only Vivian and Austin were left. She insisted on driving him home, trying to be alone for as little time as possible. On the way to her rental car, they chatted about how excited he was to ingratiate her into his friend group, and that tonight was a great start, better than he’d imagined. Well, that's what she'd translated it to mean, anyway. 

Once the two were in, she peaked over to his side to make sure he'd buckled as she talked. "Okay, where are you staying, babe?" Her voice made him jump in his seat, exposing his lack of attention. "hmmmmmmm?" She reiterates, "Which hotel are you staying at?" Austin takes a bit too long to answer. "I'm not." He sounds a little devious. "You're not?" She sounds a little confused. "It's Hasan's ho-HIC-use. Hasan's house. Another one off the-the list. The friend list." Austin hiccups in the middle of his sentence, rolling around trying to get his phone out of his back pocket. Vivian tried not to act caught off guard by this news. He had started staying there more recently, she knew that. There was no reason for alarm, it shouldn’t be any different than meeting his other friends. It was already surprising that she hadn't met him or anyone else already. Brief phone calls with Austin on speaker had revealed her existence to them; she's not a foreign concept to anyone. It would be fine. Besides, Hasan said on the podcast a couple of days ago that he goes to bed really early so she might not even get a glimpse of him. She decided to not tell Austin she knows that and just typed in the address as he eventually gets through saying it.

The ride was enjoyable, Austin didn’t puke, and he didn’t complain about her music choices either. She hadn’t had to get through a neighborhood gate by herself in a while, but the real hard part came after parking the car; Getting Austin out and through the door. She tried to support him with her shoulder the best she could and managed to get him up on the porch. “Just remember, if you.. If you see Hasan, he isn’t mean. He just is like that - oh my god where is my key?!” Unfortunately, he had gone into all his pockets while talking to find said key, but it wasn’t there. Frantic searching obviously ensues. Every pocket on Austin's body checked twice, every crevice of the car, all over the sidewalk, and the grass. 

In a fleeting moment of clarity, Vivian cuts off his panicked rambling to make the suggestion to just call Hasan and figure out the rest in the morning. "Oh yeah, duh." It takes a lot of energy to keep calm. If he lost the key that means anyone could have it. What if it was stolen? Or worse, stolen by a fan? Is this supposed to be his first impression of her? That she, the DD, let a stranger steal the key to his home? It doesn’t matter if those thoughts are ridiculous, what if he’s ridiculous? It’s not like she really knows anything about him.

Austin calls him and puts it on speaker and the sound interrupts her spiral; it rings a couple of times and Vivian almost loses all hope until a deep, gravelly groan radiates from the phone at the last second. She pretended to not have heard it. Austin explained, Hasan was irritated, reasonably, but agreed to come down after waking up enough to realize there was no other option. They stood there silently, like two kids in trouble, waiting for the door to swing open.

It did. "Austin you are a fucking idiot. The key is on the kitchen counter." Is the first thing he said when he saw him. Vivian was exasperated. “Thank fucking god, I thought someone stole it”. She covered her face in her hands as she spoke. When she revealed herself, Hasan realized her presence for the first time; caught off guard, he let his face change for a second. Displeasure, recognition, just surprise? Vivian let it slide as per the advice of her friend earlier. Austin raised an eyebrow, but carried on anyway. "Hey hey hey! None of that is true. Hasan, this is the Viv I’m always talking about. Can she come over tomorrow?" Hasan pauses before offering his hand. “Yeah.. I remember.” She accepts, shaking softly and smiling up at him. They both chuckle at Austin as they do. During the greeting, she notices for the first time that Hasan had opened the door wearing nothing but pajama pants, which you know, is an odd outfit to be shaking someone's hand in, is all.

"I was wondering if we’d ever meet you." Vivian blushes, and agrees with him. Hasan, on his never ending quest to become the world's greatest host that she’d heard all about, offered to have her stay since it's so late. She politely declines on reflex, explaining her hotel wasn't that far and that she had work in the morning. Which was mostly true. After that, Austin hugs her goodbye and shimmies behind Hasan saying something, probably incoherent, under his breath. The sight amused her enough to distract her from Hasan’s reaction to what was mumbled. His ungraceful footsteps serve as background noise for the rest of the conversation. "If you're sure. I guess see you tomorrow then?" His face reads so earnestly she struggles for a moment, wondering why Austin would ever leave her alone like that. "Yeah, of course. Thanks." Hasan begins his retreat back into the house, and she's glad to have received a cue and starts to turn around as well, waving.

"Hey. text Austin's phone so we know you got home okay." She glances back to agree before picking up the pace back to her car, face burning for what she elements is no reason. In the distance she can hear muffled yelling and laughter.

-----

The next morning Hasan carried on his early routine to breakfast, then to basketball, then back to the house as per usual. That was until the sound of crashing around upstairs reminded him of last night. He just hoped that he had come off the right way to Vivan. Austin’s faces and teasing mutters did not help, but he’d already been told a few times before that he doesn’t tend to make the greatest first impressions. Even though he had thought carefully about this one in advance, it still managed to take him by surprise. In a sleepy haze, in the middle of the night, and barely clothed no less. If he didn’t do okay that night, he was going to have to deal with the consequences for at least one depressing, awkward night, or maybe even more.

Eventually, he and Austin crossed paths in the house and Hasan had the chance to try and calm some of his nerves. "What are we gonna do with Viv today?" Hasan sat at the counter, watching his friend rummage around in the fridge. He sipped his coffee, ignoring that he could not get his knee to stop bouncing. "Uhhh." The key word was “try.” He made an effort to not to sound frustrated; obviously Austin thought that they would get along just fine and was not worried at all about being a diligent liaison, which was good, he supposed. Yet, this was as much as he could muster: "You invited her over to my house with no plans?" Austin chuckled at his friend's perpostered tone, wiggling his shoulders around in a way that suggested he may be making something up on the fly. "Well first off, I was drunk, and second… I'd like to, to, to - to give her a tour of your lovely home!" Austin sets up shop for breakfast on the other side of the island very nonchalantly and Hasan now has to hide his embarrassment. "I am not doing that." 

Austin cracked an egg into a pan, smirking. He decides to poke the bear. "Give me one reason why." Hasan gestures wildly with his hands in confusion, and the other just sits there, enjoying how the tables have turned for once. "What do you mean?? How is that not embarrassing?" He rolled his eyes. "I said I'm doing it, not you. You can hide your shame in your office until it’s over - Oh! and then I'm definitely taking her out to a fancy dinner. Anyone can come, but when I see her I like to buy her nice dinner. Then she asked me a while ago if she could teach me Mario Kart so I need a copy of the new one. You have a switch right?" Despite the greasy spatula being pointed at him as a gesture, Hasan manages to find some solus in any sort of established structure for the day.

“Oh, speak of the devil, she texted me, will you read it?” The spatula returns to point at Austin’s phone on the other side of the kitchen island. Hasan grabs it with a light grunt, returning his glasses to his eyes. “Austin, my sister and I are going to brunch in 2 hours, she says she hasn’t seen you in so long do you want to come.” He barely gets to finish reading it before Austin says, “fuck yeah, say yes.” Hasan types:

A: Austin says “fuck yeah, say yes” - Hasan

V: lol thank you for carrier pigeoning <3, its here tell him he can click on it 

Austin Insta-Carted the game under the advice of Hasan and Google before they separated again. One getting ready for brunch and the other taking a long shower and marinating in his thoughts, wondering if he should make a phone call or if that would be too dramatic.