#the best we get is a PARANORMAL PODCAST EPISODE

[strawberri-syrup]

i will always be bitter the quarry never got an actual ending. how are you going to make a game THAT compelling and then end it with a PODCAST??????????

[eloise-t-g]

i think for me, the watcher situation comes down to this:

it's absolutely respectable that the watcher team wants to grow and produce better quality content. it's respectable that they don't want to stagnate and end up pushing the same content out over and over again. that's not satisfying for them creatively, i get that.

however, if higher quality, more heavily produced content is not what your fans are asking for, then you can't ask them to fund it.

this all-or-nothing method they've gone for is frankly bizarre. it feels like they leap-frogged all other alternatives to improving their finances and ended up here, alienating and frustrating the majority of their fanbase (the fanbase they thanked for getting them to where they are).

i think this could have gone a lot better if they:

Hadn't hyped up this video for a week.

Hadn't announced the worth it successor just beforehand.

Hadn't put out a wishy-washy, "boo hoo we're so sad about this", over-produced video.

Hadn't made it $6/month (more in a lot of countries given exchange rates).

Had considered that this means fans in specific countries literally cannot pay for the subscription due to geo/region-locking.

my ideas for improving their funds, aka things they could have tried before blowing their brand up: create their own website with two options - a free version with ads and a paid version without ads, OR make better use of their patreon/make their website extra content, not all their content, for example:

Put the ghost file debriefs on there.

Put shows like survival mode on there (or even shift that show from pre-recorded video to live-stream - live stream access to patrons and VOD access to everyone, maybe).

Put episode commentaries there.

Do reaction videos to their old buzzfeed content, talk about memories and BTS, and put that there.

Put one/two episodes of each show, per season on there (and ONLY there).

Put the episodes up there a few days early.

Make specific, website only content (that's not your main and most popular series aka ghost files and puppet history).

Record the live, in-person shows and put those VODs up there.

EDIT (thought of something else lmao): put extended or even uncut versions of ghost files on there. Paranormal Detour on Detune's twitch channel has shown that people will willingly sit through 6+ hours of a ghost investigation.

EDIT: idk, do livestreams once a week where you watch scary movies with fans on discord or twitch.

(side note: the fact that they're not taking down their patreon and instead shifting all of their podcast content on there, something the patreons who have been loyally giving them money for years didn't ask for, is ridiculous and greedy. add to this the fact that they don't even get a free sub to the new website, instead get 40% off - a measly 10% more than anyone else who subs before the official launch).

the thing for me is that they're claiming they want to make "television" and "television-grade content". that's completely fine. what's not completely fine is acting like your four episodes a month is equal to netflix's entire catalogue.

this really felt like it should have been something they told us they were progressing towards, not something they revealed to be on the imminent horizon. idk, it just feels out of nowhere. no, they don't owe us all of the info about their company. but something had to be better than this.

final thought - it's okay and valid to be upset at the team for this. for a lot of people, it's a complete betrayal (especially the comment that $6 a month is something "anyone and everyone can afford", i mean yikes). i do think some people's anger got the best of them, and some of the comments i've seen across youtube, twitter, and tumblr are plain bullying, racism, and harassment. until we have the whole story, we can't decide that one founder (aka steven in a lot of people's minds) is solely responsible. i know a lot of these awful things are only coming from a small minority of the fandom, but they still get seen.

at the end of the day, all three of them got up in front of a camera and made this video, together. that can only lead us to the conclusion that they made this decision together. acting like these men in their 30s couldn't stand up against it if they truly wanted to, is so strange and parasocial lmao.

tl;dr there were much better ways of going about this announcement, if it even needed to be made at all. however, that doesn't excuse the hateful shit being spewed at the team. for now, all we know is the three founders decided they were done with youtube, and done with their loyal youtube audience.

(i have so many more thoughts on this but i need to stop lmao. however i do wonder how different things could have been if 1. they had hired someone with actual business experience as their CEO from the jump, and 2. this video was more of a "hey we're broke! this is a last-ditch effort to save our company!". guess those questions will remain ... well ... you know ...).

[ultimate-marysue]

Seeing Alice try to explain to Sam and Celia what happened and being unable to come up with a rational explanation despite trying with all her might reminds me more of John confessing that he believes the statements than it does the Martin-Prentiss incident.

You can't truly say there's something supernatural in TMA until the Jane Prentiss attack/Michael. That's when the audience and most of the cast say "got it, it truly is supernatural". Obviously as the audience of a horror podcast you were already pretty sure of it, but still. There's enough "it was actually aliens/the government" twist to be aware off.

In Tmagp things are different from the start, we don't have just one pov, we're more like a semi omniscient voyeur. We know the horrors are real because we listened to TMA (we may not know if it's the same horrors though). But not only that, several of our main cast already believed in the supernatural to begin with.

Sam kept asking Alice if she thought the incidents were real

Celia has never tried to hide that she believes they absolutely are

Colin is convinced something really weird/paranormal is happening

Gwen probably wasn't sold in the beginning but very soon she found out they are, in fact, very real

Lena Knew they were real

Alice was the only skeptical by episode 10. John was still going strong in the whole "there is no such thing as supernatural entities" by episode 39. And not only him. We only have his pov, but pretty much no one was talking(out loud) about paranormal things being real until they had a personal experience down the line. By the time John confesses he's not a real skeptic, both the audience and the rest of the characters know the supernatural is real. Meanwhile in protocol Alice is the only one holding the "nope, don't think about it" front.

Cue episode 15-16. Despite her best attempts at rationalizing what happened she can't find a logical explanation. She is reacting the way any normal, sane, human being would to a paranormal encounter. And the thing is, if this was the institute, her coworkers reaction would have ranged from "I'm going to go along with your story so you can calm down and later we can find out what really happened" to "well that couldn't have happened because ghosts aren't real".

But instead she gets Samama "hmmm this puter telling me a storytime sounds really compelling" Khalid and Celia "I'm from a different dimension that got overrun by the horrors" Ripley. And now that the last bastion for skepticism in the OIAR has fallen there's no reason to pretend. There's no image of professionalism to uphold. To Sam and Celia, Alice admitting to something like that is all the proof they need. It's confirmation bias from the last person that would want to confirm your bias so it must be true.

Honestly, I can't wait to see how this turns out. I wouldn't be surprised if Alice tries to convince herself she hallucinated the whole thing and then an incident comes in with eerily similar details...I just can't wait. I'm a sucker for skeptical characters having to confront something real.

[tasty-littl-snack]

how do you feel about them leaning into the horror genre in the future of watcher? i've been chatting to people who still support them after that podcast episode came out, and mostly people are disappointed with that decision, as am i. idk, i feel like i'm too old to enjoy paranormal horror and what attracts me to watcher most are their other shows, i'm less interested in seeing more horror content from them (the podcast also seems to be going in that direction)

Very good question, I hope you don't mind the answer being very long and going into details that not many people care about.

The TLDR version would be to tell Watcher that you feel like this. Tell them that you're here for your favorite shows that aren't the files. They seem to listen to the feedback, and I noticed in the comments of that podcast ep that many people feel like you. (Top 5 beatdown being the dark horse of a favorite show for some, Many Puppet History fans wanting to keep the professor on watcher despite the spooky pivot. I think they will listen to that because this episode opened up the discussion of what people really want, so we'll see.)

Also important thing is that if you're on the streamer then nothing will change. Steven's shows will be uploaded there, and Puppet History will air in January. My guess is that they want to see how it preforms to decide what to do with it later, but now that they started to even upload podcast eps ad-free I think everything will still be on the streamer. So if you're the subscriber to that then not much will change.

If you also want my personal feelings then they are that WWW is their best show, along with Travel season, and I still think those are the best shows that watcher has. Besides Ghost Files which I also really like so if I'm getting more ghost files in 2025 and it will be as good as season 3 then I have more positive feelings towards the change into spooky content.

But I'm a dedicated fan who signed up for the streamer, and I still think that goodbye youtube video is not that bad and is a fun making watcher finale. My opinion doesn't allign with majority of watcherinas, and I don't have all the facts. This is pure speculation based on what happened before but I'm also sometimes wrong so don't take this too seriously I just love being analytical about how people think.

And the facts are that Mystery files and Ghost files are their best preforming shows.

And also that the content they're makng is content that they want to make. I think that is a detail that flew over people's head, they are listening to the audience but they also lean into their little niches of interests. If there are videos that they don't want to make then they simply will not. (Rip MF debrief)

You can see that many casual fans are there for Ghost Files with the criticism for the streamer being "They only make 6 eps a year I'm not paying for that". For most people watcher is synonymous with the files and it's those people who bring in views and therefore money. (I'm not a youtube expert but I believe if you have sponsors in an episode then you're like "This video will get x many views, and thus a precentage of that are potential clients"). I think this is why some sponsored videos are pinned in the channel, and this is why travel season spicy ep has more views than the rest of the season, it was pinned there for some weeks, before their next sponsored video appeared. The fact that people are there for GF also shows by some people saying "I subscribed just for that", or most telling when the trailer dropped suddenly many people were in the comments on watcher tv sharing their enthusiasm.

Also if we look at the channel in 2023 compared to 2022, we can already see a very slow shift towards the spooky content.

(In bold are what counts as spooky shows, in italics shows that got over 1M views as of writing this post)

In 2022 their slate was:

Top 5 Beatdown -> Worth A Shot -> Eat like Me -> Berry Boy's one off -> Are you scared -> Too Many Spirits -> Pretty Historic -> Dish Granted -> Ghost Files + Debrief -> Puppet History -> Making Watcher

Out of these shows, only Ghost files, Are you Scared and Puppet History got more than 1M views (as of writing this post) and some episodes of top 5 betadown depending on the topic I suppose.

In 2023 the shows that premiered were:

Top 5 beatdown -> Are you scared + Survival Mode (same week) -> Too Many Spirits + Worth a Shot (aired wednesdays) -> Mystery Files -> GF one off -> Puppet History -> Ghost files + debrief (alternating weeks) -> top 5 specials -> Santa TMS -> Making Watcher.

Versus in 2024:

Survival Mode+ Top 5 beatdown (same week) -> Mystery Files -> Streamer announcement -> Survival Mode s3 -> Travel Season + Are you scared 3 eps in -> WWW + TMS one off -> Jokerfied TMS -> Are you scared one off -> Ghost files + Debrief (alternating weeks) + Are you Scared x Rusty quill collab (the lost tapes).

I marked the shows considered spooky in bold to show you that the slow increase of them happened over the last three years, and that even if they premiere their "variety" shows that are not considered spooky they still need a spooky show to equal out the views. The simple truth is that shows without Ryan and Shane doing spooky stuff don't get the views even if they are beloved by some watcherinas.

Now what is the spooky content they're leaning towards? Let's see what they're saying.

"More Ghost files, More Mystery Files, more episodes of those and Are you scared, and also Ghost Files Alone which is not a series yet but one-off for now."

They're "doubling down" on making them which is also something they wanted to do, but perhaps didn't know how. I think this is an opportunity for them to see what works (And as Katie Leblanc said, it's also easier for their crew to not go from editing one show and then a whole different show. We know how much effort ghost files required so I think if they focus their energies into making the files verse then they're gonna be better for that. It is better to have one good show instead of many cheaper ones. My hope is that they know what they're doing in that regard, because if they're going to lower the quality of Ghost files to make more of the episodes then that's not something I'm interested in. But I don't think they will go that far)

As for the food shows going for another channel, this is sadly the reality of youtube. Just like the thumbnails for ghost files s3 on Youtube are Very Clickbaity, so is the almighty algorythm, not liking the variety that watcher produces. What do you mean one week you can have long hour video and the other only half hour? Why only one month is there food stuff, and the other some spooky stuff? This might be confusing to new audiences but also to youtube algho which is like "Produce more of the same thing, always". This is a thing that every youtuber talks about sooner or later, and why every youtuber has a second channel for more experimental stuff. Food and Spooky content doesn't mix well, so if watcher wants to make a second channel for food I do think it's for the best. Steven's shows deserve to be watched by people who like them, not hatebombed (and we can all agree that Travel Season got the short end of the stick this year. As much as I love that show, it wasn't fun to go into comments and see people disliking what they're seeing.)

I think also this is the basis on which they're making that pivot, and in the end this decision doesn't surprise me. They already made a separate travel season instagram account, to give a chance for fans to have something more fun, so I think this was a decision they came to quickly. Perhaps they wanted to see how everything performs, and had to wait half a year to see how things are. I think the reason they waited with announcing this change is because they had to have a plan and see what would work. As much as I think they should make a separate more concise way to announce the changes (I doubt many fans even know of the podcast ep, or were listening to the end), aside from their own feelings about it they had to come up with a plan on how to go from here. I also think that they haven't decided what to do until the end. Shane mentions that Puppet History MIGHT go somewhere else IF it doesn't fit. Those are hypotheticals, and nothing is set in stone. This is why I think it's important to let them know what you feel about their content going forward.

I also think the strategy of them going into more spooky content is underway in small ways we don't notice. Besides the slow increase in shows, this explains the bfu collab (follow us on watcher for more of the ghost hunts), even if Ryan admitted that they wanted to do this for a long time, and the crossover with a tv show that focuses on ghost files. So they are doing this but in the end it is more content for us.

As for Pod Watcher leaning into the spooky things.... well this is pod watcher and it's about what's airing on watcher. Their last episodes are themed like this because ghost files is airing, so they keep with the theme. I'm very interested to see how they will change the content once something else will be airing. Also they are film buffs and like scary movies. So no wonder they talk about horror films, that is their interest and they talk about "whatever is on our mind every week".

Lastly I also think that it's fine to not like or vibe with the change if you feel like that. People change, content changes, our interest comes and goes. Just because you were a fan of watcher in 2020 doesn't mean you have to like everything they do in 2025. I'm myself not sure how much this will remain my main interest, if I will be here for the next five years or maybe decide that the changes are bad and I've outgrown their content in the next half year. (I highly doubt it because it doesn't feel like it for now and I am excited to see where they go from here.) If it's a good idea or not, remains to be seen, but none of us have a crystal ball and can now in December 2024 say that this is good idea or ultimately bad. There are some people who think that the pivot is a great idea, and the nature of creators is that they want to evolve and grow and change. It seems that their goal is to make what people want to see and reach new audiences by making their most popular shows, and at the end of the day they are a business and need to make money from this. If they feel like this is what's gonna work then I can only believe that they know what they're doing.

I hope this makes sense and that it explains some things for you, thanks for asking :D

[lexsang]

Could you recommend sources about sanguinarian vampirism? I tried to look for it but most recommend books seem to be published by sketchy/charlatan authors and it makes doubtful if they are genuine or not (besides some of them have very prejudiced views towards sang).

Videos, podcasts, articles, sites or books are all welcome recommendations and I would be very grateful if you had them.

Thank you very much!

(Sorry for how long it took for me to get back to you, the past few weeks have been hectic to say the least, but I've been thinkin about this ask since you sent it) My main issue with the vast majority of content on sanguinarian vampirism out there is that it is made by people who are just interested in vampires, and have no actual experience living through the things we live through. They often times come off as halloween-spooky, and inauthentic, with an emphasis on shock factor for an audience that doesn't understand that we really do actually exist.

Books are definitely not the place to look from my experience if you're interested in learning about sanguinarian vampirism. They are one of the best places if you're wanting to learn about psychic vampirism or vampiric witchcraft, but they're not for the blood drinkers.

Videos can be good learning material, but I haven't seen any on sanguinarianism that aren't just people talking about their experiences in the community, and it can get fairly full of unnecessary drama and zero useful info quick. I used to watch videos from the creator below, though I personally didn't get much out of them, but that may not be the case for you. Most of the videos are on psychic vampirism, but there are a few on sanguinarianism if I'm remembering correctly.

With Podcasts, I'm sure there are a number of one offs on paranormal podcasts if you look hard enough, but the time is most likely not worth it. The link below is one of the best I have seen, a series of great interviews with real vampires (I was lucky enough to be one of them, though that's not why I suggest this series), and the second is a youtube channel called Coffin Lounge (I would link, but youtube is being weird), which could be good, but I don't now yet. I have only listened to a little bit of the first episode, and it is more goth community centered than vamp, but there may be good stuff since since each episode is with a new guest.

Sites are the best bet so far, with forums being one of the best places to look imo.

Sanguinarius.org and their connected forum, VCMB.org were where I first realized I wasn't alone, and wasn't crazy. The biggest benefit of forums like this one, is that you are, without a doubt, listening to real people's experience, and seeing real vamps figure it out for themselves. There is so much information in the VCMB, even though it isn't very active anymore, the experiences are still there.

theredcellar.com has also been a personal favourite for ages. It is full of plenty of articles that focus on the medsang perspective, and it is home to some really down to earth vamps who are all wonderful. They also have a forum, as well as a discord that is linked on their site.

The absolute best teachers, however, are just regular old vampires. You will learn more in a few hours than you could hope to learn in months from articles and the sporadic info online by sending someone a message and asking if they have the capacity to answer your questions. Whether you are an awakening vamp looking for advice, or just interested in the real, visceral experience that vampires live through, most are kind and willing to share. Everyone's experience is different, and speaking to multiple people will help you realize just how colourful and varied the world of vampirism is.

And if you are a vampire, I know that this is cliché, but experience is a great teacher. So much of vampirism, from what I've seen and experienced myself, is about trying to run away from the vampiric experience, and be as human as possible. It has stopped being about that for me. Manage your health of course, and don't go without feeding for too long if you can help it. Take the substitutes you need to take to control the beast when you need to take them, but feeling those cravings instead of fleeing from them is a great way to become more familiar with vampirism. No one will be able to tell you more about your vampirism than yourself. Learn to meditate in those moments of hunger. You are a vampire, it's ok to allow yourself to be just that from time to time.

I hope this was helpful! Please feel free to ask if you have any more questions, I'm more than happy to help if you feel that I can :)

[letsgethaunted]

VOTE FOR LET'S GET HAUNTED IN THE ANNUAL SHORTY AWARDS!!!

You can vote once per day till April 26th!!! :D

👻👻👻OBJECTIVE👻👻👻

Let's Get Haunted is an all-female, independent podcast produced, written, recorded, and edited completely by two best friends named Nat and Aly. A true "DIY Podcast", Let's Get Haunted started on the floor of Nat's bathroom with the worst sound quality one could ever imagine. From there, the hosts began teaching themselves about all facets of podcasting, from SEO and algorithms to audio engineering and software programs. Despite both working fulltime "day jobs", Nat & Aly have earned a reputation for putting out unique and interesting content at any cost, even when they had no fixed recording location and had to lug mics and cords between the homes of Nat's Tinder dates to record episodes.

What began as a hobby with less than 5,000 streams per month in 2019, has since grown into a loving community of misfits, hellbent on tackling the dark side of the world together, over 4 million streams strong worldwide. 

While the subject matter of Let's Get Haunted focuses around the paranormal, the "Haunties" - as its community is called - channels its energy into creating positivity out of "haunted" (aka negative) situations. 

💀💀💀STRATEGY💀💀💀

Each episode centers around an intriguing mystery in history from around the world. Past episodes have featured a wide variety of guests and interviews with experts such as scientists, war veterans, ex-CIA operatives, professors, comedians, and Company CEOs.

Before diving into the juicy topic at hand, co-hosts Aly and Nat kick off each episode with banter about their personal lives and things that matter to them that week, a segment coined "Personal Hauntings". Despite any misfortunes or frustrations the week has brought about, LGH seeks to find the humor in any situation. From the time Aly was attacked in a parking lot by a guy wielding a sword to the time Nat went to jail, Let's Get Haunted doesn't shy away from sharing the more outrageous moments in their personal lives.

After going through their "Personal Hauntings", the hosts then dive into the episode topic of the day, or the "Haunting Du Jour". From stories of the Cold War to cultural folklore to cryptids, you're guaranteed to never be bored and always learn something new!

Above all, LGH seeks to remind the world that, though we're all a little bit haunted on the inside (we all have our trials and demons to overcome), that doesn't mean that we can't pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and soldier on. 

👽👽👽RESULTS👽👽👽

Over the past calendar year, Let's Get Haunted has accummulated the following accolades:

...a permanent studio space in L.A.!

…a consistent, organic increase in monthly streams by 32%!

…nominated for the Best Entertainment Podcast in the 2022 Podcast Awards!

…winners of the Silver Award in the “Weird” Category of the 2022 Signal Awards!

…achieving virality on TikTok with an audience size increase of 870% on the app!

…achieving a spot in the Top 1% most-shared podcasts on Spotify (GLOBALLY)

…achieving a spot in theTop 1% most-followed podcasts on Spotify (GLOBALLY)

...and much, much more!

[bowtiesnmusicals]

Here is my recap of the Oh The Horror! (The Rocky Horror Glee Show) episode of the podcast. 

Apparently there is a debate if Rocky Horror Show is a musical. Well Kevin said it’s a musical and Jenna said it’s a movie with music in it. 

Jenna said they are spicy today. 

This was Glee’s first tribute to a musical.

Kevin mentioned this was Glee’s Halloween episode.

The episode aired on October 26, 2010.

The #1 song was Like a G6 by Far East Movement/

The #1 movie was Paranormal Activity 2.

Kevin and Jenna don’t watch scary movies. 

Kevin saw the first Paranormal Activity because Lea forced him to see it. He said seeing the first one was enough.

On October 28th, Lea and Matt performed in the 35th Anniversary Tribute of Rocky Horror at the Wiltern in LA. Lea was Janet and Matt was Brad. Jenna said that it was kind of weird because Mr. Schue was there teacher but not really weird. Barry Bostwick and Tim Curry were there raising money for the Painted Turtle Summer Camp for children that are chronically or terminally ill. Jenna and Kevin said they don’t remember this at all. Jenna said maybe they didn’t tell us about it. 

This episode was directed by Adam Shankman. This was the first episode he directed. He also directed things like Wedding Planner and A Walk To Remember. He most recently directed Disenchanted and produced of Hocus Pocus 2. Adam likes to make cameos in his projects. Jenna said she thinks he tried to get himself in Glee but doesn’t know if he was successful.

Jenna said they went to a couple of Halloween parties that year. They went to Erin, the key make up artist for Glee, and Jenna said she throws the best parties. Jenna was Christina Yang from Grey’s Anatomy. Kevin was the Gingerbread man. Naya was a Barbie in a box. At some point Naya and Kevin changed costumes. Telly was Ursula. Naya and Jenna helped him with his make-up. Eric helped him airbrush his tentacles. Jenna said this was party was one for the books. Jenna and Naya went to Dianna’s party. They were tooted and booted. Jenna talked about a party she threw with Dianna. Jenna said lots of Halloween stuff. Kevin said so much fun Halloween stuff.

This episode has some great cameos from Rocky Horror people. Barry Bostwick and Meatloaf are both in this episode courting Sue Sylvester.

John Stamos is back and just crushing and a singing his face off.

Jenna said thank god it’s not all Rocky Horror and one random song like Only Exception that was at the end of Britney/Brittany.

Jenna goes through the line-up of music for this episode.

Kevin said he has such distinct memories of some of these songs.

It was a fun episode but it was also really hard.

There is not a lot of story or huge changes but here we go.

Will finds out Emma likes Rocky Horror and has been going to see it with Carl. He then makes the weeks assignment Rocky Horror as the musical. He goes to cast it. Finn gets a little worried about his image. Will gets in trouble with Carl and Sue is obviously trying to bring down the Glee club again.

Frank-N-Furter was Mike but his parents won’t let him so Mercedes takes over.

Janet was played by Rachel.

Brad was played by Finn.

Riff Raff was played by Kurt. Jenna said it was so good. She remembered Chris really loving Rocky Horror and he was excited to play Riff Raff.

Magenta was double cast and played by Quinn and Santana.

Columbia was double cast and played by Tina and Brittany.

Rocky was played by both Sam and Will.

Eddie was played by both Mike and Carl.

Usherette Trixie was played by Santana.

The Transylvanians were played Mercedes, Tina, Quinn and Artie.

They were playing a lot of characters because there were only so many cast members.

Stamos mentioned he was supposed to play Frank-N-Furter at one point but it got kiboshed early on. Jenna asked Ian what he remembers from that time. He tried to do a voice text but it didn’t work. He said his voice was really foggy and he sounded like a sexy lady. Anyways, he said he might be conflating with the plot of the show but his gut when she first asked that question was that it was a note from the studio or network that they couldn’t have a grown man cavorting with television teenagers. Other then that it was a fun episode but it was hard to right because there were a lot of changes. Jenna said what she took from that was it was a studio network note that it couldn’t be a grown man playing that part which is why John became Eddie and then Harry became Eddie.

Kevin said before they did this he had never seen Rocky Horror so Jenna sat him down and watched it with him. Kevin was like what is this and Jenna was like you don’t get this unless there are the performances. Jenna first saw it in 2004 or 2005. Part of her college orientation week was going to see Rocky Horror. She said it is such a theater school thing. They went at midnight and watched it.

Kevin said Adam Shankman crushed this episode. He said everything Adam directs makes you feel good. He doesn’t know how and maybe it was just this episode. He said he felt like he was wrapped in a warm blanket. As crazy as Rocky Horror is it felt nice and warm. Jenna said Adam made all of them feel that way behind the scenes. Kevin said Adam changed things up. They. Had Eric the week before who more strict and did things his way. Adam is a choreographer and comes from the music episode. He was in the recording studio with them which never happens. The last time this had happened was during Showmance. Adam knew exactly who was going to be singing what and at what time and every single shot to plan all these things out. Kevin said it was very nerve wracking and he met Adam in the recording studio and he didn’t have anything prepared.

Zach was like Adam’s protege.

Adam became one of their favorites and became a friend. He worked with Naya on Step Up.

Jenna said she thinks most of this episode plot wise revolved mainly around they production of the musical. They had never done a tribute to a musical or a musical in school at all. Jenna was like oh well the school does musicals now. They can’t remember if they did musicals before and then remembered they did West Side Story and Grease. There was also mention of Sandy doing Cabaret at one point. Kevin said yeah we suck.

The musical is making everyone feel some type of way. Will gets jealous because he sees Carl is making Emma feel better because they are going to Rocky Horror screenings. Kevin points out this is a real thing. You go at midnight, people scream, and participate, and dress up. Emma left the crust on her sandwich at lunch. Will is again using the Glee club for personal gain. He somehow ropes Carl and Emma into being a part of the show with casting and stuff. Carl ends up getting pissed at Will.

The episode starts with Naya’s lips singing. Kevin said it is so good. Jenna said she is so good at stuff like this. Her lips look great. Her teeth look great. It was a great shot. Jenna said she remembers them doing this. Naya stayed after at the end of the day. She had black around her lips. it was so good.

Kevin said it was so much fun to get to see everyone play this and it was a blast. Jenna said they got to take it to the nth degree. Everything was heightened even more then it is already heightened on the show.

The first part of the episode plays in a flashback with Carl interrupting the dress rehearsal because Will broke their pact of staying away from Emma and not messing with the relationship. Kevin asked Jenna if she remembers filming this scene. Jenna said briefly. Kevin said he doesn’t know why his strongest memory of anything with this episode is this scene. They were back behind wooden cutouts of trees and bushes for what felt like an eternity. It was early days of working with Adam and they didn’t know how he worked yet. They were shooting wide on the stage so the cameras were far away from them and they didn’t know what was going on and kept peaking out from behind bushes. They also were taking pictures of each other in their crazy costume. The stage was filled with fog and people were like it’s making me sick. Kevin said it felt like they were back there for an entire day and it seems like such a quick and easy scene and they were miserable waiting. Jenna said there were multiple parts to it. You also had Sam’s entrance in the gold shorts. Chord still has them. Kevin said he keeps threatening them to put them back on. Jenna said put them back on Chordy, put them back on. Jenna said yes she does remember that now. She also remembers Adam hanging out a lot with them during that day. He was on stage on stage with them and very involved in it.

So then we rewind to a week ago. We learn that Will has been talking to Emma and finds out she has been doing all these thing to take herself out of her comfort zone. This is where he learns about Rocky Horror and gets the idea to do it as the school musical. The Glee club is surprised to hear they are doing Rocky Horror but yeah sure it’s like going on home and watching MTV. You are like yeah I get to do something fun and racy. Then we get into the casting. Rachel and Finn were Brad and Janet.

Kevin said he loved getting to watch them do Dammit Janet. He said it’s very much two episodes ago where they were sabotaging themselves doing that terrible number. It felt like that sort of camp. You also had Quinn, Mercedes, and Kurt in the background playing such weird things. Jenna said she remembers laughing while shooting this. Kevin said Dianna and Chris were really thriving this episode. Jenna said this is very much in their wheelhouse. Kevin said they are a couple of talent talented little weirdos and this was perfect for them.

Mike volunteers for Frank-N-Furter for now. The girls are all double cast.

Carl threatens everyone with a good time. Emma puts him up to singing Hot Patootie in the classroom with everyone. John talked about being nervous doing and Kevin said you watch it and he was so effortlessly cool and good. Will tells Carl he cut that character from the script. Jenna said it felt like Will really had it out for Carl. Sue happens to be there and says no this is great we can still have this character. Mercedes steps up and says she would like a lead role and I think I could kill doing Sweet Transvestite playing Frank-N-Furter. Jenna said she absolutely killed it and she loved doing it. Kevin said it was so good. It was one of the best adaptations of a song. Jenna said also watching Heather and Naya behind her. Kevin said they were going so hard.

Jenna said she would like to point out Mercedes got a whole set with an elevator. Where did this set come from and who funded it? Cheerleading and Glee’s budgets were getting cut because of the new football coach and yet they had a gigantic set with an elevator that never gets seen by an audience because the show gets canned. When did it get built? Kevin said the timeline is very fuzzy in this episode. Jenna said it was like I Dream Of Jeannie meets Glee. Kevin said that set was incredible. Jenna said Amber just killed.

The other scene that happens on the set where they were doing the Brad, Janet, scene. Kevin looked over at Jenna and someone else and they were like we are over this we’ve got to get out here because they were in the most uncomfortable costume and wigs. Jenna said it was her and Heather. She said the sequin outfit for Columbia made her feel like a clown. She felt like a Korean grandma clown. Jenna doesn’t like wigs or a lot of costume. The make-up wasn’t her favorite. Heather and Jenna were both very uncomfortable during the Time Warp. They were there until like 1 am. It took a very long time. It looked incredible and everyone was giving 110%. Kevin said he thinks there is a difference when the director, like Paris or Adam, comes from a music background it makes a difference. He said Time Warp was flawless.

This was also where Kevin inappropriately read the room. He was like when I look at us, growing up we would use our imagination to play dress up and now we are doing that and getting paid for it. Everyone was like shut up Kevin, no one cares, wrong time. Kevin said he just wanted everyone to eat rainbows. He said sorry about that and easy for him to say he had very little to do in this episode. Jenna said so did I but the costumes were next level uncomfortable. The sequins were scratching. She will never forget it or do it again. She said Time Warp was really hard. The couple minutes at a time theyw ere shooting it were the best. They were having a blast and they looked insane. Kevin said that is us at our best .

Will calls Emma into the room to talk about the show. He decides he will play Rocky because he thinks it’s inappropriate for Sam. Sam was feeling self conscious. Will had his own motivations for playing a character in the show. Kevin said side not, poor Chord trying to get into those shorts, he was probably eating less then what Sam said he was eating in this episode. Jenna said he looked good though.

Will and Emma do Touch-A-Touch-A-Touch-A-Touch Me. This is another Brittany and Santana moment of pure joy. Jenna said she was reeling. Kevin said that he loved that they found out this was Jayma’s audition song. She sounds so good. Also, Matt was ripped. Jenna said her memory of the guys in this episode was that they were all on the same diet. Theyw ere all working real hard. She thinks Brad Falchuck might have been training him or giving him a regiment to follow to get ready for this scene. She remembers Cory being stressed about this cause he naturally didn’t have to get undressed like Matt did or Mark or Chord. This was Chords big debut. She remembers all of them stressing hard this episode. She said you know what get it. Girls have to worry about this all the time. She said she really liked that scene. It was nice to turn the tables on you guys for one second which was great. Kevin said he remembers Ryan telling them about when Mario Lopez was on Nip/Tuck and he had a sweet potato diet he would do to dehydrate himself and that got passed along to Chord and Matt and everyone. Jenna said you eat a lot of sweet potatoes for a couple of days and you don’t have any water and the night before you drink water and your skin sticks to the muscle or well that is Jenna’s understanding of it. She said she thinks the guys did the sweet potato diet a couple of times during the series. Kevin said oh absolutely and its not a healthy thing to do. Jenna says they don’t support that behavior.

Kevin mentions that during that scene Santana says earlier today Artie asked if he could make a gigantic omelette when I am done with the ostrich eggs I am smuggling in my bra. He said Artie continuously is misogynistic, sexist, and terrible to women. Jenna said they kept throwing it at Artie and just want someone to blame. Kevin mentions that Artie blamed it on internet porn and says it altered the female brain chemistry and made them more like men, thus more concerned with men’s bodies. Kevin said he is stupid, stupid person.

Kevin said should we talk about Sue. Jenna said yes. Sue is doing one of her incredible Sue’s Corners. We have Meatloaf and Barry Bostwick that we’re representing the network and Fox News her and we’re like we want you to do this undercover story. Let them do it and you will when a local Emmy. Sue agrees and places herself in the center of everything. They talked about the Janet Brad scene. He said the scene is edited crazily but that is how it was shot. He said it was really hard to get the rhythm. They were the scripts the scene within that scene in Rocky Horror. The order changed and Sue had a different line every time. It took them a hot minute to get it and Kevin remembers people getting frustrated because they were not totally nailing it ever. He said he thinks everyone was just getting a little frustrated. Jenna said she checked out because she wasn’t in that scene. This all comes tumbling down when Becky goes to Schue’s office for candy for Halloween and it’s not happening so she tells Will to come with her and says Rocky Horror is an abomination or we’ll hat is what Sue says. She then shows him the prerecorded outing of the investigation that Sue was doing on the Glee club and the show. Kevin said he doesn’t agree with all her points but this was the most reasonable Sue’s Corner she had ever done. Jenna said it was the most focused. Kevin said when Sue sits will down and says did I say anything wrong, this was one of the self referential things that Ian talks about and Will was like well I didn’t really disagree with it and he is going to pull the show. Sue can’t get her Emmy if he pulls the show. Kevin said everyone was getting to have a great time and do really fun things this episode. Jenna said it was different and fun and really shook things up.

Kevin said it felt special that they got to have Barry Bostwick and Meatloaf. Jenna said she didn’t get to meet them. Kevin said he doesn’t remember. Jenna said her dad got to meet Meatloaf once.

Kevin asked Jenna if she was hoping they did musicals they didn’t do or if there was any she would have liked to do. Jenna said she thinks there were talks to do Spring Awakening. Kevin I said that would have been super meta. Jenna said another show did it, they think it was Rise. She said no, the focus wasn’t really on the school musicals. She said West Side Story was really fun and she was glad she had a bigger part in it She also had bigger part in Grease which was weird. Kevin said he wasn’t in either of them so he doesn’t remember them. Jenna mentioned he directed Grease. He said he was not in all those scenes so he doesn’t remember.

Kevin said that is sort of it. Jenna said that is sort of the episode. It is very much built around the tribute to Rocky Horror. Kevin said it really got to show off everyone. It showed of Stamos’ singing abilities. It showed of Chord’s body. It showed all of your guys bodies. Those outfits were insane. Jenna said hey were pretty crazy. The Columbia outfit wasn’t her favorite but the other ones she really enjoyed. She said it was easier then some of Tina’s actual clothes.

Tartie Takes:

Cringe Moment/Ouches - Artie for sure saying those terrible things but also when Mike says he can’t do it he says his parents don’t want him playing a tranny.

Best Dance Move - All the background moments in all the songs.

Best Song - Sweet Transvestite

Best Prop - Kevin’s is the stage and Jenna is Riff Raff’s duster

Best Line - Kevin said there is a very well placed wonky. Jenna said overall Santana going after Carl and Mercedes being like stop.

Shit We Found On TikTok:

Kevin mentioned a fan they have met on TikTok that is an incredible musician. She sang to Kevin when then met in Liverpool last year. She is the #1 Kevin McHale so he has to shout her out. Kevin said Rose is awesome.

Next week is Never Been Kissed!

[spiritxperience]

A new episode of Let's Find Out with Diego is available now!

As we journey through the enchanting city of Savannah, Georgia, Spirit Xperience LLC, will guide you through a thrilling haunted tour, igniting a fire within believers and nudging skeptics towards a realm of endless possibilities.

Delve into memorable encounters with spirits, captivating stories, and a deep look into Savannah's rich history. Join us for a truly exhilarating experience where the boundaries between the supernatural and the natural blur in the most thrilling ways!

All this plus more! Spirit Xperience, LLC Punk Rock Mike

Guest information:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4CbYxCG3UWnNcJs8DcuPJt?si=6d4ad1a945874f56

YouTube: https://youtu.be/TpmmxB20s_o

Rumble: https://rumble.com/v5ntarq-episode-80-spirit-xperience.html

Podpage: http://www.podpage.com/lets-find-out-with-co-host-diego/episode-80-spirit-xperience/

Paranormal | UFOlogy | Cryptozoology | Entertainment

Linktree: linktr.ee/diegothepodcaster

KGRADB: kgradb.com/lets-find-out-with-diego

Site: podpage.com/lets-find-out-with-co-host-diego

Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/letsfindoutwithdiego

Are you a Paranormal Investigator, UFOlogist, Cryptozoologist, author, or have a story to share?

I want to hear from you!

If you have a podcast, you too can have a Podpage!

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SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

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Subscribe Today for only $6.99 per month and get Full Access to all content. Watch or Listen to Shows in Our Klassic Vault containing all our current archives and the KGRA Klassic broadcasts.

Use the promo code "LETSFINDOUT" and save 30% on you membership today! @followers

[raspodcast]

RAS #664 - The Devil Doctor

On Ron’s Amazing Stories this time we explore the different "types" of monsters, suggesting that they arise from exaggerations, bad food, and fashion disasters. Then we have two listener stories that defy any kind of explanation. Marc Reese from San Antonio recalls his adventure at Phantom Lake Canal, and Mattie Pittman from Glenns Ferry tells of her encounter with Parma’s Angel. Our featured story is titled The Devil Doctor and comes from The Witch's Tale radio series. Also, we have a Johnny Is It True segment all about The DarkSide Of The Moon. We end the show with Ron reading a dark tale suggested by Justin Suttles. 

Since last week was a bust we are going to complete the Month Of Spooky 2024 this week. As many of you noted and commented on, there was no podcast last week. I had a health issue that landed me in the hospital for a few days. I am still not at my best, but there is a plan to get things back on track. 

Now, you should press that play button and enjoy the show!

Featured Story - The Devil Doctor

Our featured story comes from a little known OTR series The Witch's Tale. It was a horror-fantasy radio series which aired from 1931 to 1938 on WOR, The Voice of New York. The tale is titled The Devil Doctor and it is listed as one of the 31 most scary OTR stories ever made. I have to say, I quite agree, and this one is the stuff of nightmares.  What happens when you buy an old house and start renovating it?  It first aired on January 8, 1934

Other Stories Include - The Other Day, I thought - From Bad Dreams to Bad Hair Days: The Origins of Monsters, The Creature at Phantom Lake Canal, Parma’s Angel, Johnny is it True - Dark Side of the Moon, and The Smiling Owl.

The Smiling Owl - We have a story called The Smiling Owl. It was recommended to me by Justin Suttles and comes from the website Creepypasta.com. They collect stories much like we do and are focused on the paranormal.

Ron’s Amazing Stories Is Sponsored by: Audible - You can get a free audiobook and a 30 day free trial at audibletrial.com/ronsamazingstories.

Your Stories: Do you have a story that you would like to share on the podcast or the blog? Head to the main website, click on Story Submission, leave your story, give it a title, and please tell me where you're from. I will read it if I can. Links are below.

Music Used In This Podcast: Most of the music you hear on Ron’s Amazing Stories has been composed by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. Other pieces are in the public domain. You can find great free music at FreePd.com which is a site owned by Kevin.

Program Info: Ron’s Amazing Stories is published each Thursday. You can download it from Apple Podcasts, stream it on Stitcher Radio or on the mobile version of Spotify. Do you prefer the radio? We are heard every Thursday at 10:00 pm and Sunday Night at 11:00 PM (EST) on AMFM247.COM. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.

Social Links: Main Podcast Site by LibSyn The Blog Site by WordPress Facebook Link Twitter Link Contact Links: Email Story Submissions Contact Ron

  Check out this episode!

[spookytuesdaypod]

spooky tuesday is a (now not so new!) podcast where we’re breaking down all of our favorite slashers, thrillers, monster movies and black comedies on the new scariest day of the week.

forget the beach that makes you old — it's all about the pool that haunts you. orrr maybe not? night swim (2024) is the recent release that made more of a ripple than a splash. starring wyatt russell and kerry condon, this flick has been a little divisive among audiences. is it the kid horror movie we need? or did it get caught into the pg-13 trap? on a new episode of spooky tuesday, we're jumping right into the deep end as we talk about the underlying lore, how the orioles are the best baseball team ever, and if there's anything worthwhile below the surface of this paranormal pool.

give spooky tuesday a listen on apple podcasts, spotify, iheart radio, or stitcher

[bobbyinthegarden]

2023 Reading Challenge. Audiobook: The X Files: Cold Cases by Joe Harris, Chris Carter and Dirk Maggs

You guys all know I love The X Files, you just have to scroll on my blog for less than a minute and you’ll see something there. I’m also an occasional enjoy-er of radio dramas, so I thought this would be the perfect pick for me for the audiobook category of my reading challenge.

This is not an audiobook in the traditional sense, but a dramatization, which features many of the actors from the classic series, including Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny, returning as Mulder and Scully. One pretty fun aspect of this production is that it acts as something of a revival to the original series, but follows a different canon to the actual TV revival, despite having been released AFTER season 10. This is because this audio drama is actually an adaptation of The X Files Season 10 comic book (don’t be confused by the fact that they have the same name, they are different).

If you haven’t watched The X Files, be aware that I am going to be talking about some of the events of the series in this review, so if you don’t want spoilers, proceed with caution.

The X Files: Cold Cases picks up after the events of the series (I’m not entirely sure where The X Files: I Want to Believe fits into the canon of this comic book, but to be honest, I try not to think about that film very much, so…), Mulder and Scully are living in Virginia under aliases, and are roped back into the X Files, after an unknown person hacks into the FBI databases, looking for information about the X Files in particular.

The story, or rather stories, are pretty fun, we get a mix of myth arc and monster of the week segments (I personally would have preferred more monster of the week segments, but that’s a gripe that I have with the series just in general), some deceased characters, like CSM and Alex Krycek return in ways that are actually quite clever, and much better than the way CSM returned in the TV revival, and we get to see the return of the classic Flukeman. The stories aren’t great, they wouldn’t rank as high as some of the best episodes of the original series, but they’re good, for the most part.

One thing though that was kind of frustrating for me is how they didn’t use the audio format to their advantage. The X Files has the potential to use audio drama in a really interesting way, and I’ll use two well known examples of other audio drama productions to illustrate this: the popular podcast Welcome to Night Vale and the absolutely iconic, classic 1938 radio drama of The War of the Worlds, narrated by the late, great Orson Welles. Both of these use audio and narration in incredibly fascinating and clever ways, with Welcome to Night Vale being presented as a local radio show in the fictional town of Night Vale, a desert town somewhere in the southwestern United States. The host, Cecil, remarks on local goings-on, including bizarre paranormal and supernatural events, which he treats as mundane. The War of the Worlds does something similar, beginning as a simulation of a normal radio program, featuring a weather report and music, before breaking news interruptions regarding an alien invasion interrupt the broadcast. I think that The X Files could have done something similar, almost like the season 7 episode X-Cops, which used the format of a normal episode of the reality show Cops to tell a story about a werewolf (which, incidentally, is one of my favourite episodes). In my opinion, The X Files shines the most when it’s being experimental, and here they play it extremely safe, not to mention that some of the dialogue just feels very unnatural, as the characters are having to over explain their actions to make up for the lack of visuals, which is a shame.

Overall, it’s worth a listen, if you’re a fan of the show and want more X Files content, but it’s not as good as X Files can be.

[concubuck]

concubuck:

Inside the strip club, in the manager's office, was something pretty powerful. And he was nodding in polite interest and taking notes as the manager listed off all the evidence of haunting he and his employees had noticed over the last few months.

"... Voices we only hear when all the guests are gone, glasses sliding off tables by themselves when no one's looking, bulbs exploding in the restrooms— A couple of my best girls have quit over the shit going on here. We're starting to get a reputation," the manager griped. "Kids with ghost-hunting podcasts are asking if they can do an episode about this place! It's nuts! You don't have a podcast, do you?"

"Ha. I've always preferred live radio myself." Alastor punctuated his notes with a firm dot and looked up to give the manager a reassuring smile. "Don't you worry, my friend. I'm here for the ghosts, not for publicity."

This wasn't part of his current assignment, but he had some free time before he had to return to Hell, and topside agents got a bonus if they brought in any wayward souls for sorting into their appropriate afterlives. Sometimes it paid off to see what places the local rookie paranormal investigation groups were gossiping about online and check for fugitives. This place felt promising; and even if the local spirits evaded him, he might get some free drinks out of it.

Alastor stood. "So! Let's see who's been sneaking in for a free show, shall we?" He swept out of the manager's office, heading to the main floor.

mysteriouslyhopefulstranger

Mystery Skulls Inc. was not a podcasting group. While they do have a website for people to contact them, they don't livestream anything. Alice didn't like too much attention in her direction anyway.

The team entered the club. They were greeted with bumping music and sultry women and men dancing provocatively. The orange man and the purple man gulped. Alice kept her eyes to the floor to try and sense some more. The buzz in her head remained in the center of her forehead.

"Straight ahead." Alice pointed. The team made their way down to the main floor. The orange man bumped into a drunken man.

"Hey, watch it, clown boy!" He sneered. The orange man quickened his pace.

Alice and the purple man could see some skeleghosts floating around. While a few were just carrying on in the club as if they were patrons, others were trying to get other people's attention. Alice saw one of them poke a man on the head. The man reacted but saw nothing.

"I can see a few ghosts looming around," Alice said. "but there's something more powerful here..." she felt the buzz move to her left. She looked over at the gang and pointed in the direction. They nodded. The blue woman led the way.

As Alastor entered the main floor of the club, he cast a split second envious look at the nearest dancer (wouldn't it be nice to have so many eager eyes on him?); and then he ignored the stages, completely disinterested. His focus was only on the audience, looking for anything ghostly.

It wasn't hard to find. At a quick glance, he saw several ghosts who weren't doing anything at all to blend in with the living—clearly not used to being around living humans (or any other entities) who could see them. Hopefully they'd be as easy to catch as they were to identify.

Still, it was worth taking a longer look at the place before he started catching specters, just in case there were some doing a better job of blending into the crowd than the fools hovering around with their skulls hanging out. There was no point in spooking the spooks before he'd taken a proper tally. Pity he had to do this during business hours; but he supposed the crowds hiding the ghosts from him also helped hide him, ghost-hunter, from the ghosts.

A little cluster of brightly-clothed guys and gals—and dog(?)—stood out from the crowd. Alastor studied them for a moment, before concluding they were, in fact, alive, and the fact that they stood out had less to do with their state of life and more to do with their sober, out-of-place awkwardness. Kiddos' first trip to the strip club, maybe. He could feel something supernaturally off about the lot of them; but maybe there was a witch or psychic mixed into the group. None of his business. They weren't dead, and that was what mattered to him.

His gaze left them and they faded into the background as Things He Was Disinterested In, and he brushed past them to keep searching the crowd for more ghosts.

@mysteriouslyhopefulstranger

[charcoalhawk]

Breaking My Bones, Following Ghosts

Written for Phic Phight 2022!

Prompts by @deuynndoodles and @bibliophilea

“Sam finds true crime fascinating, and likes to pull Tucker on the couch next to her while they learn about how another serial killer got locked up. Today's episode is on Danny Fenton's unsolved disappearance.”

“Wes decides to create a podcast investigating all the strangeness of Amity Park. His first episode centers around Danny Fenton.”

Beta’ed by the amazing @dykesville, thank you again for all the help!

Title taken from Friday Breakfast Club’s “Breaking My Bones”

Summary: Of all the mysteries that haunt Amity Park, Danny Fenton’s disappearance is the one most people remember.

The two of them are camped out in Sam’s nice apartment, sprawled out on the two new couches her parents insisted on getting her and eating a half-meat-lover's-half-vegetarian pizza. It’s the first weekend in months where neither of them has any college or job obligations and they are determined to spend it doing absolutely nothing productive.

It’s Sam who brings it up, going down a list of things they’ve been wanting to do together but haven’t had the time for between the spring semester and part-time jobs. Tucker’s was out of necessity, as his love of tech had left him low on spending money, while Sam had simply wanted to spite her parents, who insisted that she was above “menial labor.”

“So no weekend camping trips?”

“Sam, neither of us even owns a tent. And we would get lost so fast.”

“No amusement parks nearby, no town festivals…”

“We’d get sick of the crowds in an hour. Besides, aren’t we trying to avoid spending our money?”

“Are you going to shoot down all my fun ideas?” she huffs. “Well… how about we listen to this true crime podcast Valerie told me about?”

That… doesn’t sound like a bad idea. Tucker hasn’t talked to Valerie much since graduation, but she and Sam had remained remarkably close considering how prickly their relationship had been in the beginning. Which in itself made sense, considering…well, everything. Sam put a lot of value into life, even the un-life that ghosts existed in, and Valerie didn’t.

“Valerie’s got decent taste,” Tucker concedes, shifting so he can look over Sam’s shoulder to her phone where she’s scrolling for something. “When did she get into true crime, though? She always hated it in high school.”

“Apparently, this one is about good old Amity Park,” Sam reads, fiddling with her phone before reaching to turn on the TV sat across from them, navigating through the dozen or so streaming services her parents were paying for. “You remember Wes Weston?”

Tucker makes what he hopes is an appropriately disbelieving expression. Everyone at Amity High–hell, probably everyone in Amity Park–knew Wes Weston. He had been popular enough to not get picked on by the A-listers, with a wide variety of interests that brought him close to just about everyone…

“Welp, this is his,” Sam continues. “It’s supposed to be about all the freaky shit that started happening in Amity Park while we were in high school. The first episode is on Danny Fenton’s disappearance.”

…but what he’d been best known for had been being best friends with a kid who had gone missing five months before the three of them started high school. Danny Fenton. Wes had been distraught, and insistent that he would get a job as a “paranormal private investigator” and help solve Danny’s disappearance.

Neither Tucker nor Sam had been particularly close with Danny, but from what little Tucker remembered, he’d been a sweet kid. Absolutely loved space, and could somehow turn any discussion around to talking about space exploration or different planets.

The Fentons had come under heavy fire in the beginning for the disappearance of their son. Especially when it was revealed that it had been their supposed “ghost portal” that had led to the fire, and then to Danny’s disappearance.

Danny Fenton is an untold mystery if Tucker’s ever heard one, yet nonetheless, he finds himself skeptical. “Really? Valerie told you about this?” he asks. “I thought she hated all of Wes’s theories on it. Considering her, uh, ‘after-school activities’ over the years.”

And by “after-school activities,” Tucker of course meant fighting ghosts. He still remembered the first time he saw Valerie truly fight a ghost, a knight that had attacked the school on Halloween their freshman year. He and Sam had both been inspired to try and fight as well after that, but Valerie had only had the time to train them on the basics, and both of them had felt reluctant to reach out to the Fentons, even when they started offering to train others.

Valerie had always hated thinking of ghosts as people, and Wes’ insistence on talking to ghosts instead of fighting them had caused the biggest rift in the entire high school. To Tucker’s knowledge Valerie still had reservations about thinking of ghosts as people, especially dead people, but she and Sam had come to a middle ground somewhere in their senior year. Valerie and Wes, on the other hand, still had screaming matches in the hallways all the way up to graduation. Her endorsing anything from him was big.

“She did. She still kinda does. But she said Wes did a good job. Lays out fact and fiction, doesn’t glorify the whole thing like some true crime ‘investigators’ would.”

“Well, at least that’s something. But are you sure you really want to listen to this? I’m sure we could find one of those trashy ones with the two billion sound effects and rip into it easily.”

Sam returns his disbelieving look from earlier. “Yeah I’m sure! Those other ones get boring fast.

“Besides, don’t you want to know what actually happened? The last part of our senior year was weighed down with the revelation that he, that his body had finally been found, but no one ever actually told us what happened or where.”

He shrugs, rubbing his arm before reaching out to take the last slice of meatlover’s. “It’s…weird.”

The pizza is just on the tail end of being warm, not cold-stiff, but the cheese has congealed just a bit. Sam watches him eat, a critical look on her face. “I don’t get it, Tuck,” she says. “We practically lived in a horror movie for four years. We’ve fought ghosts, for crying out loud. What’s got you so rattled?”

“I–It’s nothing!” He protests. It’s unconvincing, but he tries again anyway. “I just–this isn’t some mystery from fifty years ago about someone we’ve never met. We knew this kid. We knew Danny.”

“I know,” Sam says, speaking slowly, her eyes still carefully locked on his. “And you’re acting like Danny is something scary.”

Tucker opened his mouth. Closed it again.

“You know what, I’ll be fine. I don’t know–it was just getting to me. Start it up.”

______________________

Hey, this is Wes Weston and you’re listening to my new podcast, “Phantoms of Amity Park.”

Here I intend to lay out the many mysteries surrounding my own hometown of Amity Park, the most haunted place on earth. Keep in mind that while these are firsthand accounts, I’m not here to debate the logistics of ghosts being real. I've seen them, talked to them— hell, I’ve fought with and against them, as have many other residents. So please, if you're listening to this just to laugh at people getting duped by shitty tourist traps, I’m afraid you’ve come to the wrong place. I’ve got accounts ranging from ghost dogs that follow you home to amulets that made you as angry as a dragon, fire-breathing included.

For this first episode I wanted–no. I needed to focus on a more serious case. I’ll try to sprinkle in some humor here and there, but will remain a bit more grave than my future episodes. The events that I’m about to describe contain some graphic content so please, keep that in mind. I’d also please ask that no one attempt to contact the family I will be talking about today. I reached out to them when I decided to cover this unfortunate event and have their permission to discuss what happened, but please, leave them alone.

With that disclaimer out of the way, I'll give you all some background. Amity Park is a small town located in northern Illinois, surrounded as far as the eye can see by trees, trees, and, oh yeah, more trees. The population sits around five thousand living residents, and our ghostly neighbors can sit anywhere between fifty and five hundred depending on the day.

At approximately 9:00 pm on April 3rd, 2003, a power surge originated from Fenton Works on Main Street, a private ghost research center and home of the Fenton family. The surge cut power to a third of the city and ignited a fire at the same residence. The city’s already-limited police and medical services stretched themselves thin to deal with multiple vehicle incidents caused by loss of power and the now-roaring fire happening at Fenton Works. After a tumultuous three hours, power was finally restored and the fire put out. Three residents of the house had been evacuated early on and were treated for minor burns and smoke inhalation, but the fourth individual who should have been present in the house could not be located.

That individual was fourteen year old Danny Fenton.

After the ruins of Fenton Works had gone cold and firefighters could search the rubble, it was soon discovered that the origin of the power surge, and by consequence the fire, was a large contraption located in the Fentons' basement that they referred to as a “ghost portal.” At the time, Danny Fenton’s disappearance taking precedence, the nature of the “ghost portal” was a relative nonconcern. Well, residents of Amity Park would soon learn exactly what this device could do, but that is a story for another day.

After no evidence of Danny could be found inside the Fenton residence, neighbors were all interviewed to ascertain whether he might have snuck out of the house before the power surge, without his parents’ knowledge. But no one remembered seeing anyone leave the house before the start of the fire. Keep in mind that this was 2003, and most kids did not yet have mobile phones.

As the hours drew on and Danny could not be located, residents were soon swept into a panic. For as great a tragedy as it would have been for a kid to die in a house fire, for there to be nothing, no body at all, was even more terrifying. Surrounding neighborhoods were checked over with a fine toothed comb, and once the wreckage was no longer dangerous, police gathered personal belongings to hopefully find a scent trail.

But none was ever found. It was as if Danny Fenton had just up and vanished.

The Fentons were interviewed extensively, especially the parents, Madeline and Jack, as it came to light that the two had been spending more and more time on their obsession with ghosts, leaving many to wonder whether young Danny might have run away in order to garner his parents' attention.

Theories of what had happened ranged from the benign to the gruesome, but no evidence of Danny’s death in or outside of the Fenton house was ever found.

As the years dragged on the case stayed cold, the town was forced to worry about the more present problem of ghosts lurking about. But because of the nature of our new guests, and the fact that their arrival coincided with Danny Fenton’s departure, his case was never forgotten.

Many people, including myself, wondered if one day we would see a little ghost fly who seemed too familiar, and the less hostile ghosts were asked if they could keep an eye out for a little black haired boy who wanted to be an astronaut.

On April 3rd, 2007, four years to the day after Danny Fenton disappeared from his home the same night as a devastating fire broke out, he was finally found.

Alicia Walker is Madeline Fenton’s older sister, and lives around six hundred miles away from Amity Park in rural Arkansas. While out checking the perimeter of her property that morning she found the body of a young boy, and immediately recognized him as her nephew, Danny Fenton.

It was deduced by the coroner that at the time the body was discovered, Danny had been dead less than twenty-four hours, having passed away due to heart failure caused by an electric shock. His left arm was covered in the spiderweb fractals of Lichtenberg scars, and it was believed the shock entered from there.

The Fentons were called as soon as the body was identified, and later that evening local news reporter Lance Thunder announced to Amity Park at large the finding and identification of Danny’s body.

Now, you eagle eyed viewers may have noticed that this case is still labeled as unsolved even though Danny’s body was found and identified. This is because there remains little to no evidence about the disappearance itself, and still less about where Danny spent his last four years.

This is for a few key reasons, the most striking of which is that the body found was that of fourteen-year-old Danny Fenton, not an eighteen year old one.

This single thing has confounded any theory into what could have happened. Whether Danny died that night or didn’t, he should not still physically have been fourteen years old. There was no wear and tear on his clothing nor his body to suggest decay for any period of time. Rigor mortis having only just set in when the body was found, further confirming that he had only died in the previous twenty four hours.

In the end I cannot offer any single concrete theory into what exactly happened to Danny Fenton. And this fact has…eaten away at me, every night since the night that I’d thought he had died, only to find out four years later that I was wrong. Four years later, and still one day too late to save him.

If you liked this, or at least found it interesting enough to not turn it off within the first five minutes, then stick around for episode 2: the mystery of Amity High’s, well, everything.

[inawickedlittletown]

Friday again (well Saturday now) and that means a new Bridgewater episode (S2ep 6/chapter 16). I was actually home this morning and could have listened, but I rather prefer getting to it at the end of Friday. Gives me something to look forward to all day. And what a good episode! 

-

Spoilers:

Peyton Blake! She is so interesting and bringing so much lore with her. 

I absolutely love all the Fae Court stuff and the way that we’re getting the information. 

The Liminal! I’m glad we finally have a name for where Thomas was. 

Two souls. One that is new. I really love that we’re getting an explanation for just what is happening and why it’s important to honor the deal and how all that works. 

Thomas immediately worrying about how nothing will change for Alden. 

Peyton just straight up expecting Thomas to want to go back in because he’s the best option. Uh...anyone is an option...if you’re so worried about it Peyton what about someone from the gathering volunteering? She even says that on their end “willing” isn’t even important...but also the contrast between Celeste trying to make it right by bringing Thomas back and Peyton wanting to send him back in to make it right. 

Thomas’ trust in Peyton worries me...while Anne not saying much and then putting her foot down on what they’re gonna do. I love Anne. But also poor Jeremy because he’s really going through it. 

Not sure what to believe from her end...or what they should trust but thus far I at least trust Peyton more than The Legend Tripper.

I find it so strange how quick Jeremy is to trust The Legend Tripper...which doesn’t change that he sounds so flustered on the phone. Oh Jeremy. 

Okay but Olivia and Thomas! I love their interactions so much. It’s like she says she was not someone he was expecting or that he had any history with...so of course they can get along differently. 

“New Grandpa” 

My heart breaks for Shelley, though. I’m glad she believes Thomas is who he says he is, but it is just so different for her than Jeremy and Anne. I’m so glad they’ve gotten to talk more and that she can be honest and tell him how she feels. The situation as a whole is so difficult and there’s just so much trauma all around. 

Thomas saying he became a better father because of Alden and how much that taught him...how he says he feels “untethered”...hmmm.

“I have your nose” Aww Shelley. 

Thomas admiting that he doesn’t know how to talk to Jeremy and just the disconnect for him with that...but Olivia pointing out that Jeremy didn’t have a full life...it’s so interesting to then go into Jeremy calling an old friend...a clear show that actually he has had other people around him...it’s just that didn’t make that a priority and that maybe that falls back on his childhood trauma and the loss of his father. 

Sofie is so wonderful though! I loved how warm and friendly she was and how she just clearly does know Jeremy well enough to not only know his stance on the paranormal, but also just the way that she realizes there’s something up the more worked up Jeremy is...and how by the end she just sounds worried. 

Fairy Contract Law! Oh, Jeremy...there is no getting out of a contract with the fae court. No matter how hard you try. 

In contrast to Sofie, I still find The Legend Tripper super suspicious. Is she a fairy? That’s my best guess so far, but I just wonder what she might want with Jeremy specifically...but also why we (including Jeremy) don’t know her name. I’m expecting her name to be really revealing. And I also just have to laugh at Jeremy because he hasn’t asked for her name...but has her phone number. Oh, Jeremy. 

Thomas what are you doing? Meeting up with Peyton on his own...I really truly think that his concern for Alden and the not quite fitting in forty years later is making him think it would be better to just go back to the liminial, not to mention how that would solve all the problems with creatures/the fae crossing over.

Cannot express how much I love this podcast. Every episode just gets better and better. 

[billiewena]

since I never made a post for these, here are all of MY ideal endings for sam (and how I would do them) that I spite-wrote after a coworker told me about how perfect his finale was <3

HUNTER NETWORK ENDING: Sam establishes an official network for the American hunters, leading a new generation of hunters as the antithesis of John Winchester. One of the final shots is a montage of all the hunters working and saving people all across the country, proving the Winchesters are no longer alone in the world.

SAMWITCH ENDING: Sam becomes a full-fledged witch thanks to all the magic supplies he inherited from Rowena and blends hunting/witch shenanigans. He can still be powerful but now he gets to choose where that power comes from. Okay this is basically Goldenrod Revisions, leave me alone.

SEPARATE WAYS ENDING: Sam and Dean both alive but living / hunting apart, going their separate ways like a parent and child who is finally leaving the nest. Sam gets the independence he always wanted while also getting to keep his brother in his life, because this is the ultimate proof that Dean trusts him. For the first time, they can move on without the reason being the other is dead. They no longer doubt they will always be there for each other even if they’re not living under the same roof anymore. The episode ends with Sam breaking into Dean’s [insert post-finale residence of choice here] in a callback to the pilot, saying he was in the area for a hunt. The last lines are Sam asking if he wanted to reunite for the hunt for old’s time sake and Dean saying “looks we got work to do.”

PODCASTER ENDING: Sam starts a podcast about the supernatural discussing urban American legends, myths, and mysteries that also helps viewers know what to look for and maybe even teaches them to defend themselves. Some take it as fiction, some use what he tells them to save their lives. It hits the top of the paranormal/mystery charts. The Ghostfacers, whose attempt to get into podcasting failed, ARE livid.

THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END: Sam and Dean both die in a blaze of glory, sacrificing themselves to defeat Chuck and bring back the rest of the world. They both get a moment to say an emotional goodbye to Jack and to each other. The two get a massive hunter’s funeral where all the past hunters come to mourn them and talk about their impact. Jody’s speech probably makes us cry. They get to Heaven at the same time, where they are greeted by all their past friends and family at the Roadhouse. On Earth, they live on forever as urban legends and heroes.

SAM & ROWENA ENDING: Sam says #FuckHeaven and spends his afterlife in hell as the consort to Queen Rowena, drinking margaritas all day, living his best life and stopping any demon uprisings in their tracks. Anytime they give him a hard time, he reminds them that he was Azazel’s boyking and they’re just Random Demon #489. What are THEY doing with their life.

SAM & EILEEN ENDING #1 - MARRIED HUNTER LIFE EDITION: Sam and Dean both survive and continue to hunt / live together, except now Eileen and Castiel are around and live in the bunker with them too after Cas was saved in [insert Empty rescue scenario of your choice.] Sam has some deja vu to the vision he had of all four of them living together in 15x09. He realizes that this is actually real and not a vision; that they are actually together, at peace and beat Chuck. The episode ends with them going to have the movie night that they never got to have in the vision. As Eileen takes his hand to go to the movie room, you see two engagement rings on their hands. Sam realizes that his journey may have started with losing Jessica but he found love again, and that while once upon a time all he and Eileen wanted was revenge, they’ve finally both found peace.

SAFE HOUSE ENDING: Sam starts a trauma center/safe house situation for hunters and ex-monsters to recover and heal, dedicating his life to proving that no one is beyond saving and everyone can redeem themselves and defy fate like he had. Mia Vallens, the shapeshifting grief counselor, is on payroll.

SAM IS THE AUTHOR NOW ENDING: Sam narrates the finale the same way Chuck did for the original series finale "Swan Song", further proving that they are now in control in their story. We get Sam's POV as he tells us what happened to all the other hunters and side characters, as well as him and his brother, with flashbacks from all fifteen seasons and young Sam & Dean growing up together. The episode ends with the reveal that Sam actually finishing the journal entries for the Winchester family's edition of the Men of Letters Bestiary, putting the finishing touches on some monster entries and his own personal anecodotes. He treats the Bestiary like a journal, in a callback to After-School Special where Sam almost became a writer and wrote about his and his family's hunting stories.

BABY JACK ENDING: Sam raises Baby!Jack after he is de-aged and “falls” to Earth in the same fashion the angel Anna once did. Baby!Jack wears overalls that don’t say his name in giant letters because Sam is a good parent who would never do that to his child. The two have a happy life as an adopted father/son duo who defied everything Lucifer and Heaven wanted them to be.

SAM & EILEEN ENDING #2 - EUROTRIP EDITION: Sam going on a year-long vacation around the world now that he has a cool Irish girlfriend who is not afraid of planes, leading to a fun exploration of the supernatural in foreign countries. Who is Dean.

DOG SHELTER OWNER: Sam owns a dog shelter and gets to walk at least ten dogs a day. Jack helps out and Miracle is the HBIC. Life is good.

CHUCK WINS ENDING: Sam lives and Dean dies, Sam throws a funeral for him that no one attends but him and a dog, and moves to the suburbs to live a generic white picket fence life with an unidentifiable wife. As a montage of Sam’s life plays, the camera pans away what looks like a computer and Chuck’s old office. A string of quotes can be heard in the background (“we’re just hamsters running around in a cage” “what would you rather have: peace or freedom?” “I can do anything...I’m a writer” “We will never give you the ending that you want / We’ll see”). The final shot is Jack, dressed in Chuck’s clothes and glasses and using his mannerisms, typing away at a typewriter. He writes “The End” but punctuates it with a question mark instead of a period. His computer screen and our TV screen both go black.

[enigmaticxbee]

✖️✖️ 2x04 Sleepless

The one where... Krycek first appears as Mulder’s new partner.

Best: The end is really chilling, CSM describing Scully as a problem to be solved and then putting out his cigarette.

Worst: Not enough Scully! I know they had to minimize her screen time given GA’s pregnancy, but still...

✔️ Flashlights

❌ Woods

❌ Slideshow

✔️ Autopsy

✔️ Evidence Disappears

✔️ Scully Misses It

❌ Mulder Ditch

❌ Sunflower Seeds

✔️ Voiceover: Scully report

✔️ Catch Phrase: X (TTIOT), Krycek (IWTB)

❌ Scully is a Medical Doctor

❌ Mulder is Spooky

❌ Scuuullllaaaaayy! Muullllderrrr!

❌ Fox/Dana

❌ Inappropriate Touching (that I am here for)

❌ Casual Scully

✔️ Casual Mulder

✔️ Trench Coats

✔️ Bad Tie Watch

✔️ Glasses Watch: Scully

50 States: New York x2, Connecticut x2 & New Jersey x2 (17/50)

Investigate: Apart

Solve Rate: 71%

❌ Bechdel Test: No conversation between two women

MSR: 🐝🐝🐝

Goriness: 👽👽

Creepiness: 👽👽

Humor: 👽

Rewatch Thoughts:

This is just his introduction but Krycek becomes such a great nemesis for them. He’s just so shitty. He’s always struck me as very uninterested in the paranormal - it doesn’t excite him the way it does Mulder and even Scully. He’s just looking for power and ways to exploit knowledge that people want to keep hidden. I wish that they had introduced him an episode or two earlier so that it came as more of a shock that he’s reporting to CSM. It’s hard to say though, since I started watching mid-way through the show’s original run so I already knew Krycek when I first saw this episode - maybe it is still a big shock if you’re watching from the beginning.

They make the most of the few Mulder and Scully interactions this episode. I love that autopsy scene. Scully dismisses Krycek so completely. Their body language, excluding Krycek from their private autopsy discussion - Mulder’s the only one she can say these crazy things to. You can see why Krycek realizes so quickly that Scully’s going to be a “problem”.

Mid-Episode Thoughts:

This red t-shirt doesn’t look right - where’s the grey?

Krycek! (Just imagine I’m saying that like Seinfeld says Newman!)

Mulder has no interest in a new partner. Although he softens a bit when he hears that Krycek might be open to extreme possibilities. He’s so easy.

Their little smiles when they see each other... And then Scully’s face falls when she sees someone else is with him. She ignores Krycek completely. This is a private club of two - no one else allowed!

Where is Mulder meeting X? Is it an abandoned or under construction stadium? X confirms that separating Mulder and Scully was one their goals.

Wait how is Cole supposed to have gotten out of the window and down there?

Scully doesn’t even argue against Mulder’s dream theory - she just redirects him towards a concrete method of investigation. They’re too cute on this call - she’s a little jealous he’s got a new partner, he can’t even pretend he doesn’t want her there with him poking holes in his theories. They don’t want to hang up!

Remember when people smoked in restaurants? (Note from inside the Coronavirus quarantine: remember when people ate together in restaurants?!)

The jungle music cues when we see Cole are not great. A podcast I listen (not about the X-Files) to refers to this type of scoring as racist music cues. You get that a lot in the 90s...

Was Krycek’s mission just to gain Mulder’s trust and spy on him? Or was silencing Cole part of his task?

Their furtive meeting in the basement hallway. Can Mulder trust X? Deep Throat told them to trust no one...

Krycek! Did they find a young agent and turn him or was he already working for them? Scully’s a much larger problem than CSM realized - yeah she is.