#this podcast was more along the lines of podcasts you see coming up recently

[scarlettfevor]

The hosts of the podcast I've been listening to excessively for the past 3 years just announced that they're ending the show.....literally, what am I supposed to do now?

[cheriladycl01]

I'm not scared! Colby Brock x MotoGPDriver! Reader Part 1

Plot: You made a tweet about Sam and Colby and were in a podcast and they brought up Sam and Colby where you talked about the paranormal and how it doesn't really scare you because you drive motorcycles at over 200mph.

A/N: This has been sat in my drafts for a while coz i was kinda scared to post it, coz its a new reach of people I'm looking for.

It started off with a silly little tweet you'd made in the summer break when you werent racing. You didn't feel like watching old F1 or MotoGP races and there was no movie that immedielty came to mind.

So you scrolled through youtube. At first it was a documentary about the ocean, and you had to switch it out. Which is how you came across a channel called Sam and Colby, two American boys who... well you didn't actually think they had a 'thing:

Your YouTube consisted solely of vlogs and car/bike videos that you did. That was your niche. However these two didn't seem to have a specific niche, you perused them seeing that they vlogged and did challenges and prank video and even back in the day were part of vine.

The most recent things they'd been sticking too by the looks of things were these paranormal investigations. They went to these haunted places with cool gear and filmed the experience. You were very intruiged as the paranormal was something you'd believed in just never interacted with.

After watching them bring people on, and be scared shitless you knew you'd boss something like this.

You were alone in your house, drinking which is where the tweet actually came from.

There was a lot of action from both fans of motorsport and YouTube fans. You of course got some hate from the tweet from the YouTube side and hence started the fued between your fans and Colby and Sam fans.

It wasn't until the podcast you went on that the duo took notice of you.

"So today I'm here in the studio with Y/N, now this I think is an intertsing podcast for both of us, because you've only been on Motorsport related ones so far correct?"

"Yes" you smile nodding. You'd actually been on a few podcasts as you really enjoyed talking to people and hearing their stories and being able to talk about your own experiences and hardships.

You started of with the generic motorsport questions, that were all angled at you being a woman in motorsport. Which you enjoyed as you knew getting to the position you had now was a hard hard feat you managed to overcome.

He then got onto more general questions about you life, which again you were happy to answer.

"I do have something that people asked me to ask when we first annouced you here and that was about the tweet with Sam and Colby?" he says looking to his notepad making sure he was keeping in his order.

"Mmmm, what about it?" you smile knowing this was going to be a thing.

"So you basically said along the lines of, if you were in a Sam and Colby video that you wouldn't be scared, why is that?" he asks tilting his head to the side.

"Well, not much scares me when i drive motorbikes at roughly 250 kmph. You know, I've come off those bikes and had my life flash before my eyes as I go into the barrier. One of my worst crashes nearly killed me, but I got back on the bike, one I healed and I won my first race back in Lusial. As part of the Red Bull family I've helped them with some crazy challanges, beat Max Verstappen in an F1 car and lots more. So i think it would genuinely take a lot to scare me!" you smile explaining your thought process behind your tweet and how you think you'd genuinely react.

"So I'm guessing you'd be like down to collab with them at some point!" he asks.

"Yeah of course, I know these things take time to plan so obviously you know with both our busy schedules it probably wouldn't be anytime soon, but you never know!" you grin and after a few more questions before the podcast ends.

It was around a week later, you were in your home gym getting some weight training in when a message dings up. You stop the current exercise your doing to check it.

It was an instagram DM from the Sam and Colby official account. You click on the notification to go onto the chat to look at what they'd messaged you.

Of course you immedielty replied. You exchanged numbers with both the boy's before Colby made a group chat asking when you were free.

It was harder to find times than you expected, the next time you all would be free was during your winter break from racing. Which was risky to confirm anything, especially to their fans as anything could happen to you in that time.

You agreed on a date and time to tell your fans.

The next step was you inviting them to a race weekend, you wanted to meet them but obviously didn't have much time between races. So you invited them to your home race at Silverstone in the United Kingdom.

They decided to make it a whole thing, where they explored some haunted places across England after coming to see you at your race.

You decided to meet them at the airport first and you couldn't hold in your nerves to meet them, you never had the best people skills which is probably why you went into the career path that you did.

You waited for them in the arrivals area, it wasn't too busy due to the time of the day, just a few business men in suits. You looked around for a board to see when their plane had landed, but could find one.

"Y/N?" you hear from behind you.

A/N: I don't know what the fandom's like on here, but I just like writing about cool situations that help with writers block for writing my book! If you follow me for F1 and General Motorsports this is me branching out my writing into another hyper fixation of mine that’s been around for a while!

[hislittleraincloud]

I just know Wednesday s2 is gonna blow (and not in a good way lol)

This be the one, see the previous Anon.

S2 is going to be shitty in terms of continuity and bloated cast. I'm sure they'll ✨hyde✨ the big names, but I think Ortega said that it would be more episodic than what it was this time around, that each episode is "like a movie". Which irritates me because that's kind of what S1 was. Each ep had a theme of some sort, leading up to the finale. Its episodes already being cinematic is the treat that makes the show decent.

Someone in Asks asked me about my calling Ortega dumb, but

The Addams Family IS lighthearted. It's comedy. It's satire. The whole point is that it ISN'T too dark, and that its visual joke-violence doesn't turn into gratuitous gore.

(My answers are getting long these days...)

She says it's great to ditch romantic interest, which means no romance for the main character in a teen coming-of-age show. Uhm. Ricci's Wednesday was totally into Joel (and the musical Wednesday had Lucas/that was the central plot point to the musical), and this whole "let's cut out the love/romance/sex!" is just contributing more to Purity Culture and making young adolescents more confused and isolated/afraid to DO anything, even if it's a simple date with no physicality. Remember what I said yesterday? Fucking VIOLENCE is okay, yet SEX is not? *flicks Gizmo on her stupid sunglasses*

I fucking hate that line of thought for anything/everything. Think about it...if we behaved more like bonobos than chimps (because humans behave like goddamn chimpanzees). Chimp conflict includes violence and tearing of limbs. Bonobos settle conflict by having sex.

I need my Make Love Not War pin back, especially now.

Romance for Wednesday was also a central conflict; teen years is when you start to bloom and fuck around. At least it used to be. It was one of the things she was supposed to learn how to navigate, given what her parents said, though she was terrified of becoming her parents (as I stated in my pinned post about Wednesday mimicking Gomez romantically).

They are bringing ALL the elements of that central struggle back for S2 except for Percy White/Xavier. It's going to be fucked, however they write him off.

Wednesday needs more of what we loved from both the TV series and the 90s movies. Does that include cute romance? Yes, yes it does. I suspect they might fill that void with Enjax.

Am I tryna say I want to see more Euphoria in this, no. But something sweet like a sweet coupling/banter, especially during these godawful times, would be nice.

I don't care for gratuitous violence or gore, but yes I do want to see more of the vampires and gorgons. It's real cute that she mentions the fucking vampires when they didn't ask Naomi back (say what you will about her IG post, her April '24 podcast says more about "recently" losing something big and crying about it). Scheduling/"not much progression with Yoko's journey" my ass. Do you know what Naomi was doing this past summer when W2 was filming? Traveling. She was posting a lot of travel stories throughout the time they were all filming.

So yeah. I have little faith in this given the mess with PHW getting kicked. From a writer's perspective, and thinking about M&G's Bible for the show, I would be really pissed if one of my main characters was suddenly gone. Think about that for a second. You have a vision for what your show is like, you have your characters all plotted out, etc. AND the show does amazingly well in its first month ...and then a bunch of little cunts come along and scream (false) RAPE! allegations, uncovering some unsavory comments that no one gave a shit about until the cunts screamed and now your company/boss is telling you that they need to drop the actor/character. Say what?

Beh. While I disagree with Ortega about infusing more horror and shoving the romance aside for Wednesday, I really think the Wenclairs need to look at this again: Ortega is so put off by what y'all did that she is NOT going to reward your shitty behavior by laying any foundations for Wenclair in S2 for S3 (if there IS a S3). And I think she realizes that if Wednesday does have another male love interest that y'all will fuck with him too, so we get NOTHING. 😭

I can't imagine what Millar & Gough think about this and about the Wenclairs who did this and who celebrate it/brag about doing it. These Wenclairs have made the cast (and writers) unhappy because they all get wet for Ortega/Myers. It's fucking grotesque, and it's gone and made the show even more inconsistent than it already is. They — full on adults, not just teens, some of these fucking turds are in their late 20s and 30s — helped ruin the show that they purport to love for selfish fucking parasocial reasons.

Because let's face it...one of the main cast whose arc was meant to be for/towards Wednesday suddenly gone for S2 ruins things. We could have seen more character development of Xavier, and the strife with his father (as well as expanded use of his powers...he is telekinetic like Rowan, he can more inanimate drawings, etc.). Y'all can say you hate Xavier and that he's "creepy" for drawing/painting Wednesday, but that's normal tortured artist behavior. Look at the "creepy" fucking shit you all do with your drawings. Half of you can't draw Enid for shit/she ends up looking more masculine than she is (she is a girly fucking girl, she looks like a pixy/elf).

I wanted to see more telekinesis and visions.

And speaking of visions, what's in store for Wednesday's? I really think that the season should've ended with Wednesday having a vision of Tyler escaping, rather than how it was written/filmed. That would've kept the focus on Wednesday/not Tyler. But that's just me. I hope they keep her visions relevant in S2, and it would be nice if another power did show up. I mean, ABW has 4 LOL But the Seers (Xavier and Rowan) seem to have two powers/features to their status as Seer — visions and telekinesis. So why the Hell isn't Wednesday telekinetic?

I hate this show. 🫠

[magpod-confessions]

i think tmagp is interesting and i understand WHY people like it but personaly i think i'm going to have to drop it. the character writing feels 2d and i just can't get attached to any of the characters. i do like Gwen (probably because she's actually out there Doing Stuff), and i REALLY liked early-season Alice when she was being an annoying (said with love) coworker who clearly knew more than she let on. her initial Alice-POVs were incredibly compelling, but the more the season goes on the more she seems to be relegated to 'sam's ex' which is just...sad (also, why are they taking their ONE canonical transfem character and making her the jealous ex? hello? can anyone else hear me?). my other issues are:

everyone says this but AUDIO. i listen to a huge variety of podcasts, music, tv, movies that have intense audio distortion and can understand them fine but i just cannot follow what they're saying in tmagp. the SFX are too loud in comparison to the voice settings and it means i have to follow along with transcripts which is not something i really want to do. that's a preference but yeah.

also everyone says this but EPISODE FORMAT!!! i love all different styles of podcast storytelling and listen to a variety of horror fiction that does storytelling in different ways (standouts for me being woe.begone, malevolent, the silt verses, welcome to night vale, camp here&there, etc). but the office chatter + 5min statement + tangential plotline + random other cuts just feels clunky to me, like clicking through a bunch of tabs and trying to read through them at random. i think there's a lot of potential with how tmagp is trying to tell it's story (almost like found footage?) but it doesn't feel like it's been sewn together properly...i keep loosing the threads of the plot

the whole "alice is sam's jealous ex" coworker drama thing. I just can't get over it. you have alice and celia literally mirroring each other in terms of their relationship with sam. this is interesting. this could be cool. it works in celia's case, because she CLEARLY has other motivations and plot conflicts outside of being sam's partner. alice USED to seem like she had more going on, but recently...idk. it seems like they're pushing her character more and more into the background (what happened with everything going on with her brother? and her own facade of trying to cover things up? what about her personal life?) which i don't love given that she's the shows only canon transfem rep. why is it ALICE specifically who is being utilized in the plot in this way (to define her character by her status as "sam's ex", when no other fem characters seem to be defined by their relationships with men)?

i do think i'll come back to tmagp once it's further along to see if any of my issues with is have been resolved. again, tma took a very long time to really get into the plot. i don't MIND having a chaotic plot (in fact, it's one thing i think will turn out to be incredibly interesting later down the line). but to me, i just can't invest myself in the characters/relationships (which is what the show is building it's plot on), the audio mixing is unintelligible to me, and the episode format feels unbalanced. i'm gonna stay up to date with how people are talking about it online but i just wish it was starting stronger, because there is SO much potential in the series!!

.

[dgiacomo]

I said this online recently. I think I want to hear how Giacomo feels about this💖

[I'm going to answer this as a Munday ask for a few reasons.

Firstly... Giacomo (in this comic at least) has a warped view on weight (specifically inward facing, regarding his own) due to having been bullied for it relentlessly in the past, so his feelings won't particularly come from a healthy place at this point in the comic...

I'm a writer and artist, so I tell a story. I'll portray all sides basically for the story... I personally don't actually agree with people like José who go around pushing their ideals on others. I think people are entitled to their opinion, but if it's not hurting anybody, they should leave others alone...

If your weight isn't causing you medical harm then you shouldn't be pressured to change if you're content how you are. In fact, it seems medical science is discovering new things lately... I listen to a science podcast called the Infinite Monkey Cage and they had an episode on new information that apparently new studies are showing that exercise doesn't effect weight at all, only fitness and muscle tone. I'm also seeing articles that doctors/scientists are apparently finding that light exercise is actually more healthy than extreme gym exercise or something along those lines for health and longevity. Unfortunately, it can take a long time for society to catch up with new ideas when the old ideas are so heavily pushed... but I'm already seeing doctors embracing new findings regarding things like BMI so... I'm hopeful.

But all that aside, I'm still just a random, small-time artist on the internet, not a medical professional... A blog/comic on the internet can't make your decisions for you and in some cases shouldn't be advising things either way, especially when it deals with others relationships... if you're concerned about the way somebody is treating you, you need to reach out to a trusted person in your life, preferably somebody like a therapist you see or maybe a trusted doctor!]

[lunarcovehq]

I was working in the lab late one night When my eyes beheld an eerie sight For my monster, from his slab, began to rise And suddenly, to my surprise He did the Monster Mash

The Great Jack-O-Lantern Lighting - Activities of the Week

The festivities continue! This week with some fan favorite events. From Lunar Cove's annual costume contest to the Great Jack-O-Lantern lighting, there are even more fun fall activities in store and an exciting update! Progress is being made on the Pendulum repairs. The Clean-Up Crew is on track to complete the Pendulum renovations by early November, but they still need your help. Any donations or time you can give would be greatly appreciated. Let's work together to restore our town to it's former glory! Not to mention, any additional funds left over from restoring the Pendulum will go towards a project near and dear to one of our missing residents. The Clan was helping Ralph Middlemas fundraise to build a skatepark in Mason Mahir's honor and, while our resident Mayor is still missing, this skatepark can be your way of honoring those who have sacrificed so much for this town.

In other Covian news, Elena Gomez-Alvaro's PSA aimed at both drivers and pedestrians, reminding all to be mindful of their surroundings as a pedestrian and behind the wheel, will be airing all throughout the week. While, the search parties for Dhruv and Meena have been, unfortunately, called off. After the Council meeting last week, joint search parties were set up, with each search party having a member from a different organization (one witch, one werewolf, one vampire etc). Each leader was also given an illusion disenchantment prepared by the coven advisor, Jake Sullivan, in case anyone wandered into an illusion that might be hiding the missing residents. But, after two weeks of endless searching, the town's resources have all been utilized and Lunar Cove no longer have the resources to continue to exhaust to keep the town wide search going. Some residents have taken it upon themselves to still continue to search every single night, but most have lost hope. Authorities are still looking into the case, while the Council is seeing if checking the historical archives to search for any rituals that may be connected to the case. They will also be reaching out to the few spirit raisers in town to see if anyone might be available to commune with the ghosts to see if they dead might have seen something that the living might have missed and looked into the origin of the van which was, in fact, reported stolen weeks ago from one of the local florists in town. The Sheriff's department still has their tip line the Council has also chosen to utilize as the Council looks into the missing residents and tries to gain more information on the shadow figure that emerged during the ritual at the Carnival. Only, it seems several residents have been taking their tips elsewhere.

A group of true crime podcasters have been releasing new episodes with every outlandish story or lead they can find. The most recent tip they've received has pointed them towards the King's Cross Hospital. The Song family has refused to comment, but an inside source who works at the Hospital, has come forward. They have taken note of several sedatives that have gone missing from the building along with a concerning list of tools frequently used in surgeries. Could upper management be trying to cover up the missing equipment up? And could this be connected to the missing residents? Or explain why folks around town have been reporting blacking out for days on end with little to no memory of what happened to them?

REMINDERS

This is a plot-driven event that will run until 10/31 both IC and OOC. So, please keep a look out for future plot drops to come! We will be dropping one a week leading up to 31st, so while we encourage you to react to any of the below in threads or starters, please know that more fall and festive activities are to come.

The tag for the event is lunarcoveevent13. Everything from pictures, outfits, Halloween costumes & threads etc. should be under this tag. Starters should have both the starter and event tag.

This event is mandatory and is occurring all across town so feel free to post starters or have private threads reacting to any of the below.

For anyone looking to bring in new characters, we are back to our regularly scheduled acceptance and will be holding acceptance this Wednesday.

Last, but not least, we hope you have some skele-fun!

ACTIVITIES OF THE WEEK

MONDAY/CONTINUING ALL WEEK LONG

Halloween Costume Ordering - Swing by Blush Boutique to pick up a Halloween costume before they sell out! From Princesses to Humans to your favorite characters, the Blush Boutique has a wide range of costumes that are flying off the shelves, so if you don’t want to be stuck with a dusty and deformed skeleton mask, stop by sooner rather than later.

Town Clean-Up Crew- Meet at the Rec Center every morning where you will then be assigned different locations around town to help fix up. There is also a donation booth set up for anyone who wants to donate towards the Pendulum repairs and the skatepark.

TUESDAY

Hay Rides- It’s time to bundle up, grab a partner and watch the scenic views of Echo Acres. Tractors will take you along the landscape until dusk.

WEDNESDAY

Horror Movie Marathon- If you’re thinking of going to the Key Theatre to watch the eight hour long Horror Movie Marathon, make sure to invest in their endless popcorn buckets. Your popcorn will end up flying out of your hand at one point or another as you watch the (frankly sometimes offensive) human depiction of ghouls, vamps and werewolves! And if you stay for the Witching Hour showing, you may finally get to see the ending of the independent film, made right here in Lunar Cove back in the 80's, known as the Creature of Shadow Lake.

THURSDAY

Ghoulish Bar Crawl - From witches brew to apple cider spritz, join the Seen It Route’s Ghoulish Bar Crawl this year for a different kind of trick or treating! The tour will take you all over town from Shipfaced to Bad Moon Brewery to even the likes of the Country Club. If they serve boo-ze, this tour will be there and offering you one free drink at every location. Costumes are welcome, though your tour guide may roast you depending on who you choose to dress up as.

FRIDAY

Costume Contest- Time to whip out your favorite costume and get ready to strut down the Costume Contest Catwalk. Best Costume, this year, will take home the honor of being able to light this town's Great Jack-O-Lantern. Note: OOC survey to vote on which character should win to come, so make sure to post your costumes with the tag Lunarcoveevent13.

SATURDAY

The Great Jack-O-Lantern- The winner of the Costume Contest will have the honor of lighting the giant carved pumpkin on the Town Green. But, even if you aren't selected to light the pumpkin, you should still come on down. There will be corn hole and other fun games as well as popcorn and treat booths.

[thegreatimpersonator]

can you elaborate on the brittany thing idk much about her so i’m so intrigued to know

sure! this is long, welcome to my ted talk.

so brittany has been an influencer for a while, and has always been very loud about how it's important to use her platform and to speak about important things like politics or anything involving inequality/bigotry/etc., in her own words on her own podcast 'if you have a platform why would you not use it'.

more recently, people noticed she hadn't said anything about palestine at all, people started to call her out and were very disappointed in her (especially after making such a big deal about using your platform for good, a bit hypocritical- i think you can see where this is going). someone on her close friends on Instagram ended up leaking something she posted to her close friends story where she said it was 'dystopian' she should be speaking about the middle east and a bunch of other wild shit. people got pissed but moved on, and then didnt speak up until that whole celebrity block party thing happened and she was losing a bunch of followers. so the comparison to taylor starts with making a big deal about how you're an activist to then not speak on anything important and when you do, it's only when it affects you and you barely do anything.

another similarity is what happening rn (tw: SA for this part) there's a really famous influencer she's friends with and has made plenty of content with, been vocal about being a huge fan of, etc. recently it's come to light that he knowingly had sex with a minor, she was 17 and he was 25, was told beforehand that she was only 17 and he still went through with the assault. it's made huge news and everyone is talking about it, and people were wondering if his friends/fellow content creators that have associated themselves with him were gonna condemn his actions or just ignore it. brittany decided to post something on her instagram stories that said something along the lines of 'if these things are proven to be true' and other very dismissive things that reak of not supporting the victim. brittany has always spoken about believing in women and supporting women in general, but only until someone she's close with is the issue. classic white feminsim, and i dont think i have to make the connection to taylor for you. and it also just reminds of how taylor is still very much publicly friends with multiple abusers, abuse apologists etc.

the last note is the fanbases are eerily similar in terms of hypocrisy, lack of morals and critical thinking, blindly defending their fav, adopting white feminism and using it to victimize her, etc. it's wild. a bunch of fans are basically crying misogyny saying ''it's just classic misogyny that brittany, the women, is getting more hate than the man who actually assaulted somebody', and they way they just made that up to make her a victim is crazy. no one is hating brittany more than cody, cody is getting news article written about him by respected publications and popular commentary channels are making videos calling him out... brittany is just an off-branch of that to another topic/issue. but any criticism is met with the weaponization of feminism in order to protect a fav i guess!

[thinplacesradio]

a subway car (the Q to Coney Island), lit with purple-white light, a map of the city between two hunched figures, faces just empty black voids. the seats are blue. the window behind one of the figures is dark. the image is distorted by VCR static. white text reads:

[017] THE FUNGI. A CALLER HAS A CREEPING FEELING. THE HOST GOES UNDERGROUND.

listen here, or anywhere you find your podcasts. transcript under the cut:

[static, radio tuning]

[Traveling Sales Rep: Don’t touch that dial! We’ll be right back, after these short messages.] [static, radio tuning]

[click]

Hello and welcome to Thin Places Radio. I’m your host,

and it is the middle of the night. But don’t worry. You’re not alone.

[Thin Places theme] [quiet train track thumps, wind]

I'm coming to you drowsy from my studio, which is what I like to call this almost-empty train car, rumbling softly along its tracks. It’s dark outside, but it’s even darker underground, metal screeching, lights flickering with each bump and turn. There’s too much room in here, amongst the empty seats, even in this canister, even in the dark, even penned in with no way out. It's missing both of the things that make the train so special: the view, and the people.

I can hear the quiet drone of conversation in the next car over, but I can’t make out a single word. I can see movement, but not a single person. I think it’s reminding me of a nightmare I used to have? People talking, no sound coming out. Or maybe just the feeling of getting on an empty subway car, taking one breath in, and realizing it's empty because someone left something behind in there for everyone else. 

This car isn’t empty, though. Just almost. There is someone standing at the farthest end, shoulder up and arm holding onto the pole. But they’re facing away from me. Even when I got on the train, and moved to sit, and moved again? They’re always facing away from me. 

Somehow, I feel like that’s lucky. I feel like it’s keeping me safe. 

So what is Thin Places Radio?

Well, you can call in about anything strange that you've got going on in your life. 

Are your dreams getting more vivid and more strange? 

Does it unsettle you to think that one of your food groups will, one day, eat you? 

Are you trying to figure out how to mention to your cashier that she keeps changing into someone else when you go to pay? 

Call in, get it off your chest. Lines are open.

[click] [voicemail:]

Hi, Host - so, it’s recently come to my attention that I don’t like mushrooms. And it’s not a case of like, eating them, I don’t think I’ve ever voluntarily eaten a mushroom in my life. But there’s something about them that just - creeps me out. I don’t like looking at them, I don’t like the way the spores do their thing, I don’t enjoy watching them grow, it just - something about them creeps me out. And, y’know, ideally I’d like to be at peace with all creatures great and small, so, I was hoping maybe you could help - either figure out what it is about them that unsettles me, or convince me otherwise. Thanks!

[click] [quiet train clacking, squeaking] 

Hi, caller. Thank you for your message. The thing I appreciate most about it is your attempt at unearthing the hidden corners of your own mind and heart. Instead of letting your disgust keep you from something, you’re asking yourself, where does that first feeling come from? You’re pushing back against it to find out what's squirming underneath it, and that deserves to be celebrated. I'm not here to convince you of anything, but I'll grab a shovel to help you dig.

The thing about fungus, perhaps, that makes your stomach turn is that they are alive, in a way that we are not, and that they are growing, in a way that we never will. There is a whole alien universe sprawled out in humid earth and on rotting logs and near ponds and even, sometimes, on and inside us. There is a different space opera planet for anything you could ever imagine, of all textures and vibrancies, sizes and shapes, mimics and sorcerers. They glow. They ooze. They bounce like rubber. We put them in our food, and if we pick a little bit wrong, they kill us, and use us to keep growing. 

Fungus is slow. It’s alive, in little specific ways that even the most renowned mycologists are still trying to piece together. It responds to sound but has no sensory organs. It communicates. And all of these different creatures work together to do some of the earth's most important work, the work that terrifies us the most because it reminds us of the end of all things: decomposition. [searching music] Breaking down, so that everything can grow again. We build so many monuments to progress, so many highways and buildings and parking lots. But fungus takes the long view. It waits, it endures, it adapts. It is learning to break down plastic. In the end, it is always there, interconnected to itself in a network we can't begin to fathom, one enormous nervous system in the body of nature - one that connects not itself to itself, but trees and plants to one another. It's unstoppable, and inevitable. It's what the word awe was made for: something so great and terrifying in its beauty and beautiful in its terror that it becomes something else completely - something we don't have a word for.

We aren't like them. We live in our own minds in our own bodies in our own apartments in our own separate universes. It takes work to achieve what the fungus always knows: we are not just ourselves. We cannot be. But maybe connection is more important because we have to choose it. The only way to really thrive is to look to the fungi - terrifying, awesome. And to reach out to someone else with all the alien human capacity we have. 

[click]

Something strange, listeners. I - I just stood up to move closer to the doors of the train, which happens to be closer to the figure [static] on the other side, back still to me. Uh, but I - I can't. [static] My - my feet are moving. I am taking steps across the floor of the train car, but it stretches out in front of me, nauseatingly unchanging. [pause] Until now. [static increases] Because the figure is turning. 

[slightly out of step, various garbled voices, static, and the host, syncing up:]

Alpha - Golf - India - Foxtrot - Tango - India - Sierra - Alpha - Golf - India - Foxtrot - Tango

[it repeats, faster]

I know that face. Why do I know that face? 

[static] [[quickly: Alpha - Delta - Echo - Alpha - Lima - India - Sierra - Alpha - Delta - Echo - Alpha - Lima]] [static] [click] [sound suddenly cuts out]

[train pulling away] [crickets] 

Well I made it off the train, everyone, which is to say I am now standing on another platform, many miles from the last one, with a hopefully small gap in memory [static] between that moment and this one. 

But… [awed] They knew me too. They waved. 

[click]

Thank you for listening, callers, and thank you for calling, listeners. I hope you feel a little bit lighter. I know I do.

As always, our number is 717.382.8093. Until next time. I’ll be here.

[static] [Traveling Sales Rep: visit us at the - diner just off -] [Various Garbled Voices: the - road - provides - the - road - provides -]

Thin Places Radio is a podcast written by Kristen O’Neal and produced by Kaitlin Bruder. The voice of Your Host is Kristen O’Neal.

Tonight’s voicemail was left for us by JD. Editing and sound design are by Kaitlin Bruder, and the music tracks you heard in tonight’s episode are: the Thin Places theme, by Miles Morkri, and Umeed by RANA. If you have a question to ask, a story to tell, or a suggestion for the host, give us a call at ‪(717) 382-8093‬. The lines are always open.

[Thin Places Theme outro]

[soovermyself]

Sometime within the first couple weeks of her being sick, I remember seeing Jack posting on his insta story something along the lines of “you shouldn’t be threatened by your partner’s success” or something like that (I can’t remember the exact wording sorry!). I didn’t think much of it at the time, but was still like 🤔 since we saw her and Jack spending more time together or him helping with her pup. Looking back now, I wonder if it’s a possible reason (or it could be completely unrelated but who knows).

Again, thank you for keeping this so respectful and letting us have this discussion! It’s definitely all vague and it’s possible we’ll never know what actually happened, but I just hope both sides can move on peacefully.

I remember that at some point Jack posted something too, but can’t remember exactly what it was either but it was also during the time the whole Jonah Hill (I think it was him?) scandal came out about his ex posting these text messages he had sent her so I honestly, back then, thought it was related to that. But who knows, it could be? Although from what I could tell and from people who actually saw them irl, Grant was always very very proud of Sophia so somehow I don’t think he was threatened or anything by her success. I actually think he was a very proud husband.

I think it’s obvious that something did indeed happened that triggered all of this, but I have absolutely no idea what. Again, your theories are as good as mine. Keep em coming! ☺️

And yes, them being able to move on peacefully is truly all we can wish them at this point. Maybe one day we will get a clearer picture on this whole story or maybe we won’t and it’s okay. The important part is that everyone can find happiness in the end. I truly believe that Sophia will get the happy ending she deserves with a man she loves and who adores her equally and it seems like this hurdle hasn’t stopped her desire of becoming a mother since she keeps bringing up her future children in the podcast recently and honestly? I. Am. Here. For. It. 🥺

[caelumsnuff]

What keeps you here (listening to Redacted, slightly engaging with fandom, writing for it)? I don’t mean that in the annoying ‘omg why are you here if you’re gonna complain’ way. As I think it’s heathy for a fandom to discuss what could be better about their fandom space and what works and doesn’t work for them in the media they’re consuming (and even as someone who enjoys 99% of this place, this fandom’s ‘don’t even say that you don’t like a thing’ is unlike any fandom I’ve ever been in, big or small).

I’m asking ‘cause I’ve been listening to Redacted since 2021 and it became a fixation, but recently I feel it fading a lot (I don’t find the narratives as compelling anymore with Quinn and Avior being the recent ones, HBS was just okay even tho nothing quality wise changed to me, even my enjoyment of the podcast has waned (and I listen to a ton of podcasts of all types so that should have been the one thing that stayed lol, but they are inconsistent then come back and talk about Pokémon Go only for 70% of the episode every episode lol so I think that’s what’s not helping).

So what brought you here and what keeps you here now? What do you think will keep you engaging with his work? What do you think will (or could be) what makes you step away (whether abruptly or gradually)? (Sorry for all the questions. I’m curious. Hope you have a lovely day!)

Thank you for the ask! I know this is long and a little word soupy perhaps, but i hope you can glean some coherent meaning from it.

Under the cut bc long.

I've been here since very very very early in the channel. Like...... 2020 early. I was getting back into listening to rp asmr after having a small interest in it a few years earlier, and i came across redacted, a lil baby VA. Redacted had some unique qualities in the rp asmr scene, and if we're being honest he still does.

My brain kinda decided to hyperfixate on Redacted, i think because he had plot heavy audios and that wasnt super common in this genre of rp. And in the beginning, the plots were actually decently good in terms of writing and whatnot.

At some point along the way, that fixation became something of a special interest eventually. Probably sometime around early 2022 when i decided to join the discord to finally see some fanart and maybe make friends with people in this fandom. That kinda sent me down the rabbit hole of realizing "oh shit yeah these people have wildly different interpretations of these audios", which started to irritate me in regards to a certain magical therapist and i ended up writing a fanfic about it after being afraid to write for literally most of my life. I got very mixed responses, but some people were really kind and expressed gratitude for my writing and that made me actually want to be a part of this fandom, even if i stay in my own little corner. After that point i started to engage with the content far more critically, and decided that i care about his videos too much to not talk about them and critique them.

I can't really tell you why i stay here, not exactly at least. I think plot-wise the videos have declined in quality greatly, which i started paying attention to. I have been known to enjoy bad media. Like a lot. I watched all of Voltron, all of Vampire Diaries, 13/15 seasons of Supernatural, the Twilight movies, and i fucking enjoyed them. Im just a fan of shit media. Its really fun to critique as well! But like..... I don't think Erik is an all around shit writer, i think he's really good at some things. Character building (the base of a character at least), universe building (for the most part), and the line writing is really good actually, i enjoy them. And i think that he's decent when writing darker content and plotlines, look at the Adam plotline, the Ivan plotline, Imperium AU etc. So i guess the answer is i enjoy critically engaging with it and actively critiquing the art, as well as being attached to the characters and the universe. I have kinda yoinked the characters and they are now my little barbie dolls to play with.

Tbh i ignore most of the fandom bc i just..... simply do not care what people i dont know think about me. I think that majority of this fandom has demonstrated not just a lack of critical thinking skills, comprehension of fandom etiquette, and media comprehension skills, but also a lack of basic human decency and kindness. I do not care what people like that think of me. I know who i am, my loved ones know who i am, and im not gonna let children on the internet stop me from making the art i enjoy.

I take breaks from listening to videos every once in a while (like 2 months at the beginning of this year), but i always end up coming back. I guess im curious as to where this all is going, and i really really do want to see this man get better at writing which..... hasnt happened yet but i guess im patient enough to wait lol. I think he hit a new low recently though. I think the Quinn storyline is the first time that the bad writing actually made me like... angry. Like i was MAD, like shaking laughing in my bed mad. It took me an hour to cool down like what the fuck was that man 😭 If i think about it too hard ill get all riled up again.

I.... don't know what would make me step away tbh. Idk what that would take, but i guess it'd have to be worse than the Quinn arc, which is setting a pretty high bar.

So yeah i think i stay here because i love the characters (or the ideas of them), as well as the universe, and i think writing fics for them is really good practice for me. There's also some very sweet people in this fandom who have been nothing but kind and encouraging to me, and i do not want to let these interactions i have with you guys fizzle out just yet. I may not know yall or directly interact with yall a lot, but i really do love you guys in this little corner of the fandom ive carved out.

[newmusickarl]

5-9’s Album of the Month Podcast

Reminder that you can head over to Spotify to listen to the January 2023 episode of our Album of the Month podcast, covering Billy Nomates's CACTI, Circa Waves's Never Going Under, The Murder Capital's Gigi's Recovery, Patchnotes's Endless Surrender and We Are Scientists's Lobes.

Take a listen below and be sure to follow 5-9 Blog on Instagram and Twitter for more news and polls relating to the podcast, along with other great content like film reviews, sports articles and more.

Listen to the January 2023 episode here

Album & EP Recommendations

This Is Why by Paramore

Back in the mid-00s when I was 15/16 years old, Bloc Party’s Silent Alarm changed my life.

Sonically eclectic whilst lyrically urgent, it seemed to encapsulate the teenage experience at that time like no other record could. From the politically charged Helicopter, the glistening, post-festival blues of So Here We Are and quintessential indie love song This Modern Love, it firmly remains my favourite debut album of all time. So, when immensely popular American rockers Paramore announced that this record and Bloc Party were the primary influence for their sixth studio album, This Is Why, my interest was naturally piqued.

Although my knowledge of Paramore’s back catalogue is limited, even on the face of their career I can see that the trio aren’t afraid of reinventing themselves. From their early emo and pop punk roots to the 80s influenced synth-pop of their impressive last outing After Laughter, few mainstream acts have evolved their sound through the years quite like Paramore. However, with the primary inspiration of Bloc Party along with other great British bands like Foals, Wolf Alice and Arctic Monkeys namechecked in recent interviews, Paramore have undergone arguably their biggest reinvention yet. Where Silent Alarm offered a vital soundtrack for the post-9/11 youth, Paramore attempt to do the same for an apathetic generation of kids dealing with COVID lockdowns and ever-growing social and political divide on This Is Why. And whilst it isn’t quite Silent Alarm, this is unquestionably a brilliant indie rock record.

As they put in their pre-release statement, lyrically the album delves into feelings of agoraphobia, disassociation, moral superiority and righteousness, whilst sonically the band’s influences come through loud and clear too. Taylor York’s guitar work is arguably the star of the show, with the jittery riffs littered across the album’s concise 10 tracks reminiscent of that mid-00s Brit-rock scene in which I grew up. That highlights arguably the most impressive element of this record too, the fact it manages to strike the perfect balance between feeling both current and nostalgic at the same time.

Into the album itself then and the opening title track remains one of my favourite tracks of the last twelve months. With all the catchy, stuttering chords of prime Foals, along with some ever-impressive vocal acrobatics from enigmatic frontwoman Hayley Williams, the mid-song breakdown that ends with Williams’ cries of “I’m floating like a cannonball” is so gloriously cathartic, you can’t help but get won over.

Second single The News is similarly great, with the Bloc Party inspiration coming through strong on this raucous anthem that looks with despair at the ongoing Ukraine War. The lyrics on the chorus are particularly hard-hitting, as Williams passionately roars “Every second our collective heart breaks, all together every single head shakes, shut your eyes but it won’t go away.” Running Out Of Time then completes a blistering opening trio, where Williams battles with self-preservation and disorganisation as she sings “Intentions only get you so far, what if I’m just a selfish prick? No regard” over some of the coolest guitar lines of the whole record.

However, there are times where Paramore can wear their 00s indie influences slightly too much on their sleeve. The band stated that C’est Comme Ça was inspired by Yard Act due to its spoken word verses, but my biggest takeaway was how the opening riff is an accidental rip-off of Hard Fi’s breakout single, Hard To Beat (if you don’t believe me, listen to the opening of both tracks for yourself). The song thankfully does recover after that confusing first 15 seconds though, mainly thanks to more outstanding guitar patterns from Taylor York.

Beyond the opening gambit of singles, I’m pleased to say there’s plenty more great moments to be found here. Big Man, Little Dignity is another strong favourite, which sees the trio take shots at powerful men not held to account for their deplorable actions (“smooth operator in a shit-stained suit”). Boasting a flurry of flutes, some moody Joy Division-esque guitars and Williams’ beautiful cooing vocals, it ends up leaving a huge impression. Liar, arguably the album’s most subdued moment, is similarly awe-inspiring too thanks to some twinkly guitars and Williams’ graceful falsetto vocals. Thick Skull is then the emphatic finale the album deserves, with a big solo towards the back end that draws shades to early Arctic Monkeys, whilst Williams screams “Come on out with your hands up, I’m coming out with my hands up.”

As you can probably tell I’m a big fan of this record and from start to finish this is a simply thrilling listen. At a concise 36 minutes there’s not a second spared, as the band channel their message through the sounds from indie rock’s past, breathing fresh new life into the scene and helping it to resonate with a newer, younger mainstream audience. So, if you are sat there wondering why Paramore are one of the biggest rock bands in the world right now – This Is Why.

Listen here

Desire, I Want To Turn Into You by Caroline Polachek

I said in last week’s roundup that Raye’s debut album 21st Century Blues had set the standard for pop records to follow for the rest of the year, but it seems that American alt-pop artist Caroline Polachek didn’t get that memo. Less than a week later, Caroline has delivered a masterclass in experimental and art-driven pop music, that you’ll just want to lose yourself in again and again.

Originally slated for a Friday release, Caroline instead gifted the album a few days early by releasing on Valentine’s Day, which only feels fitting given this album’s passionate mood. Sonically it’s a mesmerising listen, with Caroline throwing the kitchen sink at this one by incorporating bagpipes (Blood and Butter), Spanish Flamenco guitars (Sunset) and even a children’s choir (Billions). There’s also a blockbuster collaboration with both Grimes and Dido (Fly to You), two artists whose influence you can hear frequently across many of the album’s other tracks as well.

Although the individual moments themselves are full of vitality, the beauty of this album lies in the sonic journey on which it takes you. From the Tarzan-like cries of introductory track Welcome To My Island, the Charli XCX pop stylings of Bunny Is A Rider, the Eurovision glow of I Believe to the folk-dance of Smoke, Caroline delivers a vibrant explosion of sound at every turn. That said it’s arguably the album’s most understated and atmospheric moment that ends up striking the biggest chord, as Hopedrunk Everasking beautifully shimmers through the speakers thanks to Caroline’s utterly angelic vocal harmonies.

Overall, this really is an utterly blissful listen from beginning to end, with Caroline building in every single way on her previous solo outing, Pang (also great). Colourful, uplifting and filled with endlessly fascinating sonic exploration, this is an album that I suspect will only sound even better come summertime.

Listen here

This Stupid World by Yo La Tengo

“Now almost forty years into their musical journey and on their sixteenth proper studio album, the trio of Ira Kaplin, Georgia Hubley, and James McNew sound reinvigorated on their latest for Matador. Longtime fans of Yo La Tengo can approach This Stupid World with an eased mind – with this gorgeous set of nine intricate yarns, there’s no reinventing the wheel. Yet, it is easily their best since 2013’s Fade and will go down as one of their finest albums.

“Fallout” is classic Yo La Tengo and easily one of their best singles, but this entire record is a vintage outing from the indie vets who continually remind us there are other greats in New Jersey besides Bruce Springsteen. We are blessed that this band doesn’t share an interest in packing it up at forty. Instead, with This Stupid World, Yo La Tengo shows that age doesn’t lead to less shredding, and there is certainly no room for a decline when you’re one of the best bands to ever do this indie thing.”

Read Kiley Larsen’s full review for HeadStuff here

Listen here

Moments of Clarity by Narrow Head

“It’s the third record for the Houston-based shoegaze/alternative/post-hardcore/enough-with-genre-labels outfit and the first in quite a while to really slap me with some damn good chugging detuned guitars.

Moments of Clarity comes from a time of significant loss in Duarte’s life, and Narrow Head is determined to shred its way out of it. Their gift lies in that elusive space where much of Moments of Clarity is downright heavy. Still, the pop-sense melodies on early songs like the title track and “Sunday” would slot in comfortably on any nineties alternative station. This is partially thanks to co-producer Sonny DiPerri, who has worked as a producer and engineer with the likes of Nine Inch Nails, DIIV, and My Blood Valentine, who Duarte says pushed them past the heaviness into writing legit pop songs. DiPerri’s effort also pays off sonically, as this is the lushest record from Narrow Head so far.”

Read Kiley Larsen’s full review here

Listen here

Also worth checking out: Truth Decay by You Me At Six

Tracks of the Week

A&W by Lana Del Rey

The release of Lana’s ninth studio album at the end of March is fast approaching and this week we finally got our second taste of (takes deep breath) Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd. Thankfully she is countering the annoying, parody-like title of her new record with this seven-minute epic, which sees Lana detail “the experience of being an American Whore.” It’s vintage Lana with the first half stripped back and centred around her gorgeous, hushed vocals, before it steadily morphs into a rumbling, trap style beat as she sarcastically sings “Your Mom called, I told her, you’re fucking up big time.”

With four albums in four years I had been feeling that Lana was somewhat oversaturating her catalogue, however if it gifts us gems like this then maybe I’ll allow it. Let’s wait and see though if she can keep the standard up for another full length.

Listen here

Lost by Linkin Park

It makes me feel incredibly old to see that Linkin Park’s Meteora, a defining record for me during my early teens, is turning 20 years old this year. To celebrate, the band are re-releasing the record with a mountain of unreleased demos, live recordings and never-before-heard tracks from the album’s recording sessions. The first of these to be unveiled is Lost, a track you can’t quite believe didn’t make it on to the original album but arguably hits harder now 20 years later.

Amazingly sounding fresh probably due to the recent nu-metal revival, you can’t help but choke up hearing the late Chester Bennington anguishly sing “I tried to keep this pain inside, but I will never be alright.” Truly heartbreaking but great that the band have enabled this song and Chester’s typically moving vocal performance to see the light of day.

Listen here

Ghosts Again by Depeche Mode

A band 43 years into their career at this point but showing no signs of slowing down, electronic pioneers Depeche Mode have served up the first taste of their forthcoming fifteenth studio album, Memento Mori. Their first new material since the unexpected passing of founding member Andy Fletcher, it’s a vibrant, synth-soaked anthem led by Dave Gahan’s signature haunting vocals.

Listen here

Yr Made of Gold by Fake Turins

It’s a real shame that North London's premier disco-psych 11-piece Fake Turins will be officially calling it a day on the 8th June, a date which is set to host their final farewell show at London’s Village Underground. Thankfully they are giving fans one final parting gift, in the form of their Inheritance EP, which is due out a month earlier on the 9th May. The first taste of this EP is new single Yr Made of Gold, which is being perfectly described as “a suspenseful yet sensuous funk-noir” and comes accompanied by a quite mesmerising AI-animated video too.

Check out the incredible visualiser here

I’m Sorry (Acoustic) by Josef Salvat

And finally this week, synth-pop sensation Josef Salvat has also reinterpreted one of the standout singles of his brilliant third album, 2022’s Islands. Taking the infectious, upbeat melody and transforming it into a gorgeous piano ballad, it’s a worthwhile reimagining of a great song.

Listen here

REMINDER: If you use Apple Music, you can also keep up-to-date with all my favourite 2023 tracks through my Best of 2023 playlist. Constantly updated throughout the year with songs I enjoy, it is then finalised into a Top 100 Songs of the Year in December.

Add the playlist to your library here

[unpluggedfinancial]

The Infinite Game: Your Brain Has No Level Cap

The Infinite Game: Your Brain Has No Level Cap

Forget everything you know about regular video games. This is the ultimate RPG - your brain - and here's the wild part: there's no max level. None. Zero. You can keep grinding XP until you're 100 years old and still be unlocking new abilities.

The Infinite Skill Tree

Most games cap you at level 99 or give you maxed-out stats. But your brain? It laughs at limits. Every time you think you've peaked, there's another layer to unlock. It’s like finding out the tutorial's finally over... and you're only getting started.

Secret Weapons & Power-Ups

You're cruising along, doing your thing, when BAM:

That random YouTube video gives you a legendary insight.

Some conversation with a stranger unlocks a hidden quest line.

A book you weren't even looking for drops an epic knowledge bomb.

These aren't just regular upgrades - they're game-changers that multiply your stats. No grinding required.

The "Aha!" Moment Cheat Code

Sometimes you hit these wild knowledge combos that let you skip like 10 levels at once. We're talking:

That moment when everything clicks. I clearly remember having an aha moment when I finally understood Bitcoin—that is a recent one that really sticks out for me.

When two totally different skills combine into something new.

When you suddenly understand something you've been stuck on for years.

It's like finding a warp zone in Mario, except it's your own brain leveling up at light speed.

Fake Levels to Play With

Here are some hypothetical brain levels to keep you inspired:

Level 5: Curiosity Spark - You start asking questions about things you usually ignore. Curiosity becomes your best weapon.

Level 15: Knowledge Collector - You've learned how to absorb information like a sponge, diving into books, podcasts, and articles.

Level 25: Skill Combiner - You begin merging unrelated skills, creating unique problem-solving approaches.

Level 40: Mind Map Master - You can visualize complex ideas and connect the dots effortlessly, making sense of chaos.

Level 60: Intuition Amplifier - Your gut feeling sharpens, guiding you to make smart decisions without overthinking.

Level 75: Meta-Learning Guru - You've mastered the art of learning itself. Every new skill comes easier and faster.

Level 90: Perspective Shifter - You can effortlessly see things from multiple viewpoints, giving you a deep understanding of complex situations.

Level 99: Flow State Champion - You can consistently tap into a state of focus where everything else disappears, maximizing creativity and productivity.

Level 100: Baseline Human Interface (BHI) - You achieve a state of deep self-awareness, where you can interface with your own mind as if it's a powerful tool.

Level 120: Quantum Thinker - You start to think in abstractions, perceiving patterns others can't even see, like a visionary unlocking the future.

Level 200: Quantum Computing Mind - Your brain starts processing complex problems in parallel, like a quantum computer, finding solutions that seemed impossible.

Level 250: Heart Unlocker - You unlock the full potential of empathy, realizing it is a natural superpower that can change lives, starting with your own.

Level 500: Guardian - You reach the rank of Guardian. You’ve evolved to the point where your primary mission is to guide others, helping them ascend and level up just like you have. A Guardian might pass a certain test they've been training for, solidifying their role as a guide and mentor for others, and then ascend to the rank of Guardian Angel.

The Real Secret Sauce

Here’s what most people miss: You're not just playing to level up - you're playing to unlock abilities you didn't even know existed. Your brain's got secret characters, hidden stages, and bonus rounds that nobody tells you about.

And the craziest part? The more you level up, the more you realize how much more there is to discover.

Time to Press Start

You're not just playing some casual mobile game here. You're in the most complex, unlimited, open-world RPG ever created. No walkthrough, no strategy guide, just infinite potential.

The only question is: What level are you grinding for today?

Because tomorrow? That level cap you thought you hit? It's just another tutorial stage cleared.

[daytrickk]

I've started this new week of with productivity. I spent my sunday afternoon cleaning my entire house so I could start Monday off feeling great and productive.

So far this morning have have had a surge of creativity to finish chapter 13, compiling my notes and original chapters to create this offical draft.

We are definitely on a roll today.

However, I have noticed that when I'm sitting staring at the page I immediately pick up my phone to go on Instagram or Facebook. Even though neither of them ever help me with creativity, I still do it. Out of pure impulse and habit. So... Because of this, I'm figuring out if I should delete them both off my phone..

I don't do anything with them. And if I really want to post anything, I can always do it from my laptop. Which isn't preferable, but works as it makes me stay off my damn phone.

I am addicted, and I keep coming up with excuses to not remove them. But I think today will be the day I do. They are just so unnecessary and toxic. I came across a quote recently that went something along the lines of:

Do you post for attention or intention.

It proceeded to explain it in more detail but you get the picture. So many people post things for attention. And it's such a toxic place to be. To watch other people live their lives while you waste your own. When I do post I want it to be for a reason. I have my car Instagram to inspire people to work on their own rigs. Not matter how much of a sh!tbox they are. I have my puppy Instagram as a little scrapbook as my pup grows up. I have my art Instagram to post art and make a business from it. Then finally I have my writing Instagram to share the novel as I continue to write it.

All of these things have intentions behind their creation. They are not just there to post pictures of me and my life. I couldn't care less about sharing my life. But sharing my intentions, my goals, my dreams, my progress. That's something I'm interested in. I love to help inspire others. For Christ sake, when I was on instagram yesterday, I came across a cleaning reel and it inspired me to clean my own house. One video caused me to close the app and do something.Prepping me for a good week ahead of me. That is the kind of content I want to share. Content that inspires people to go do something. Not just sit there and laugh and scroll onto the next video. Not content that gets people to see where I'm at and stalk me before moving onto the next thing that entertains their minds. I want to inspire people and share my creativity. I can do all of that without having the damn apps on my phone. Distracting me from my main goals.

If I'm bored and want to do nothing I want to spend it listening to music, podcasts or reading books. Not scrolling for hours loosing my life.

Doomscrolling is a real issue and it does affect your brain. As much as we scoff and toss the idea aside. It is damaging our brains and I don't want to be apart of it anymore. I want to be better. The best version of myself. And I want to see how much I want it. To really test myself. To put this social media connection down the drain.

I may be starting a new job soon, and the last thing I will need is to spend what little free time I will have scrolling social media. I want to continue writing this book. To continue to learn and grow as an individual. To grow into a person younger me would be proud of.

That's my update for the time being. Stay tuned for more xo

[defensefilms]

Sports TV's Shake-Up Is Still Growing On Me

The movement in sports television talk shows has been interesting to watch and has resulted in the two staple shows of the genre recieving fresh new coats of paint, with some new wrinkles.

Over at ESPN, your guy Stephen A Smith, pulled the move of the year by getting Shannon Sharpe as a co-host on First Take

More interestingly is the fact that Shannpn's podcast "Club Shay-Shay", will be movign to Colin Cowherd's network, The Volume.

I don't know how that works, or if there's any conflict of interes there, being that Cowherd is still very much with Fox, and as are most of the podcaster featured on The Volume.

Skip Bayless may have had to sweat a little, but the crew that he's assembled a super team of sports analysts, made up of mostly former NFL players, and while that first episode was a mess, I have to assume the line-up will change somewhat to feature former NBA players in February, as we head into the NBA playoffs.

Along with Keyshawn Johnson, Richard Sherman and Michael Irvin, Skip now has Rachel Nichols, to help with NBA segments.

Say what you want about Skip, but he knows how to bounce back.

ESPN's recent talent exodus has been the catalyst for most of this movement, and the most interesting analyst on this topic are those outside of the television broadcast industry, like Dan LeBatard and Marcellus Wiley, who are more free to spek thier mind, and whose insight in to the production of these shows give thier anaysis a bit more punch.

Dan LeBatard recently confronted Stephen Smith on the LeBatard Show, and told him that he thought that Stephen A and Skip Bayless were reponsible for the death of nuance in sports media.

It's an awesome interaction, click here to see it, and since then the two have gone back and forth on either's podcasts, as recently as a week ago, and they are truly the most engaging conversations happening in sports talk.

Remember, when it comes to on-screen talent, it's about chemistry, and in the cases of both First Take and Undisputed, it's going to take a year and some change for them to really hit thier stride.

Still for the first time in a long time, I feel like I actually have a reason to watch either show.

[theothersarshi]

People who think this is about Neil Gaiman aren't wrong.

But in the past few days there's also been bad news about Alice Munro, whom I honestly haven't read, and I have no idea what her books are like. Not sure there's a Munro fandom as such, though, to have such a huge backlash.

Joss Whedon went from darling to pariah. Buffy the who?

Orson Scott Card? I can't remember what the scandal was about.

Roald Dahl.

HP Lovecraft.

Big names in TV/podcasts/Youtube which I can barely recognize, but which I'm sure crossed my dash more than once.

And, of course, to top them all, JK "TERF 4EVA" Rowling, who has dedicated the past few years of her life to yelling as loudly as she possibly can that she is a shitty person and will do everything to be shitty to people, and if she catches her own allies in the crosshairs, well, whatever.

In some cases, the issue with the creators is clear and undeniable; in others, the situations are murky (murkier than Gaiman's, before you jump at my throat). But regardless, the actions of those celebrities become excuses to attack and police fans. And that's not ok.

Fans aren't 1:1 reflections of the things they love. Even when they're single-fandomed, they're still individuals who perceive the works they love in their own, particular way.

The Most Hated Example

I'm going to go there, but this phenomenon is especially clear when it comes to JK Rowling, because she's: 1. Very widely known. 2. Very clearly a bitch, hands down.

I fully agree that:

she shouldn't be supported financially

word should be spread that she's horrible, actually

word should be spread that she's intentionally looking for the worst takes out there, actually

word should be spread that her "data" is wrong, actually

it's rude to bring up Harry Potter around people who hate Harry Potter, whether for JK Rowling-related reasons or other reasons

But I don't agree with the sentiment that readers and writers of Harry Potter fanfic should be treated as TERFs, slavery-apologists, antisemites or whatever and harrassed. I don't think former fans should be ashamed to have been in that fandom. And I don't think Rowling's recenter TERF-ery proves that Harry Potter always sucked. "The author is a dick, therefore the writing is bad" isn't a valid criticism of a book. Writing skill, like many other skills, isn't a divinely ordained gift for the virtuous, but something you develop in time through hard work, with the help of your innate abilities - and the work will never be perfect and morally pure in all systems of morality.

I also think there's a lot of conflation between the frustration with a fandom, the instant dislike for a creator, and moral justice. And that's bad, actually. A knee-jerk reaction about a work isn't proof of morality; it's proof that something about it had an impact on you, whether positively or negatively. Why...? That depends. It might be many reasons. I personally dislike sexist books, but I also dislike many classic sci-fi stories because they take place in spaces that are crowded and cramped, such as spaceships (Star Trek gets a pass because they have holo-suites which can mimic forests, though). But my personal claustrophobia isn't a reason to say that "2001: A Space Odyssey" is garbage.

But because of this conflation in which people dislike various elements and blame the dislike entirely on morality, it's way too easy to attack others for liking things. After all, if what's right is likable and what's wrong is dislikable, then you only bully people for liking evil, right? And bullying bad people is good, right? (Wrong)

Will this attack on fans happen to the "Good Omens" fandom? I don't know; people are already going the "But there's Pratchett in that" route, so I can see a rift along those lines. It might happen with "The Sandman". I've seen it with Buffy and other Whedon stuff. And with all sorts of other fandoms.

And it's shitty. Because the people who are most affected by this aren't the creators, but fellow fans. Alice Munro, Roald Dahl, Lovecraft - they're all dead. JK Rowling feeds on other people's hatred. They're unreachable. So all the anger and frustration are taken out on random individuals who happen to be in the vicinity - or on targets who have become acceptable now that the creators they like have been brought down.

Celebrity gone wrong checklist

Please remember the following:

The wrongness has always been obvious. It was clear. The speaker has always noticed it. Since the celebrity was a baby.

The wrongness was there in everything the person did. In their beloved magnum opus. In their interviews. In their gaze. In their hair follicles.

Not noticing the wrongness from the very beginning is on you. You should have known. The speaker has always known. Must be suspicious. Always. No good celebrities. No good people. All suspect. Must maintain vigilence.

Anything the celebrity touched is poison. Must not touch the poison. Remove all poison from your life. Remove from shelves. Remove from playlists. Remove. Cleanse. Purify.

Hunt fools who claim they did not know. They knew. They saw. They chose not to. Hunt evil creatures who do not denounce the celebrity and their work instantly.

Any sign of the celebrity's existence noticed around others is proof of their evil and bad intent. Evil is contagious. A hesitation to destroy the celebrity's works and denounce their crimes is proof of support of their crime.

The impurity of past love for the celebrity or their work can be attoned for, but never entirely removed.

Never love. Never hope. Never be sincere in admiration. That is the only path towards being good and avoiding future impurity.

Evil prowls the world. Remain vigilant. Fight. Fight against sincere love and sincere admiration. Never be wrong. Never love evil. Always keep an eye out. Always make sure you see every sign of evil. Enjoy nothing, if you can. If enjoyment is necessary, enjoy little. Enjoy only the morally correct. Drop anything that anyone objects to ever.

Remain vigilant. Always. Vigilant.

[anotherkindofmindpod]

I just started listening to your podcasts because, well, I just became a Beatles deepfan (should be a term if it's not) when I got COVID in mid-Jan and left "Get Back" on for the duration. On repeat. I was always a huge fan of the music, but like a lot of us when I was born they were already broken up, so it wasn't until I saw them together in GB that I became sucked into *them* and their relationships. (They're fascinating af and I get it now.)

Thing is, as I my body began to get better, my brain refused to come along. It just got stuck.†︎ It was slow and plodding and my "genetically over-curious" nature was completely flattened. It was as if the world around me shrunk, and the immediate effect of that was that I couldn't move to another topic. I literally couldn't think of what to think about. It was maddening! I tried and tried, but at some point I realized that even paying attention to The Beatles was hard, and that I had no choice but to take what I could get, and after a few weeks I slowly found that I could, very slowly, shift slightly within the topic. That happened without directed thought, so I was glad of it. It was something, you know? The best way I can describe it is that it was like my world became a checkers board: the board was "The Beatles" and I could move one space away from wherever I was. My brain couldn't leap any more, but it was learning to crawl. And so it did. It's been a bit like consuming a very large meal spread out over miles one nibble at a time. Not really sure why I wrote all that — except that I was probably trying to explain it to myself for the first time? — and it's not really important, except to kind of say how absolutely ignorant I was 6 months ago and how everything is still new and fascinating, but that it's also impossible to always know what's been talked about to death. Sometimes I think I know, but often I've just not discovered that corner of the fandom, and the OST & AKOM ladies are your own lovely island that I've yet to explore — bite by crawling bite — thoroughly. Yet.

So with those caveats... I just read the absolutely insane 1980 Playboy article last week, then — believe it or not — today I listened to "How Do You Sleep" for the first time. Yes, the first. The strange "Muzak" line actually jumped out at me when I read the article because it's so almost anti-Lennon-ish, but after seeing the "Muzak" lyric in "How Do You Sleep" it seemed possibly significant that in 1980 he made the Muzak remark. Like John-code. But that is also why I mentioned that I just started listening to AKOM. I figure there's a very good chance you've talked about it and I just haven't gotten to it yet, but also it turns out I couldn't wait to listen to them all to find out. *ducks* 💜

†︎ It took almost 3 months to see any improvement, but there has been some recently. ⭐️ 🧠

Hello @mythserene! First of all, thanks for sharing your COVID experience. It’s been a hell of a worldwide mind-fuck that we’re all still surviving/recovering from/processing and it’s helpful to many of us to talk about it.

The one genuinely hilarious thing about HDYS is how John managed to highlight so many of Paul’s most extraordinary qualities and accomplishments. All the alleged “insults” in retrospect look incredibly backwards and conservative, and actually shine a better light on Paul!

You live with straights  This young dad chooses not to work with junkies? I think we can all agree that’s a good call 

Jump when your mama tell you anything  Linda wears the pants in the family? Wow, cool

Pretty soon we’ll see what you can do  Amazing how John foretold not only Paul’s illustrious legacy but also his incredible artistic range and unprecedented, thriving career as both a recording artist and live performer into his 80s!

Since you’ve gone you’re just Another Day  Choosing one of the most interesting (and newly celebrated) songs of Paul’s catalog that highlights his unusual focus on working women, was just… chef’s kiss

The sound you make is muzak to my ears  If this is a reference to M1, John is actually foreshadowing the album’s distinction as one of rock’s first lo-fi albums (certainly its first mainstream one). Paul’s creation of “muzak” both in M1 and more obviously on 1980’s M2, show innovation in a new genre of ambient music that fully emerges in the 90s and 00s and continues to flourish today. McCartney explores other subgenres such as electronica and trance further with the Fireman projects, but his work with M1 and M2 are really decades ahead of what will eventually become a major genre of electronic pop music.

Lennon’s use of the term “muzak” in 1971 was surely meant as an insult; so-called Elevator Music was considered mass-produced shmaltz, background noise for mindless consumers.  But as someone who LOVES ambient and electronic music, “Elevator Music” is definitely not an insult and ironically draws attention to Paul’s musical eclecticism and innovation!

Lennon’s use of the term Muzak here in 1980 -and admitting it’s something that “relaxes” him- is definitely interesting! There’s no way John isn’t conscious of the association with Paul. What it means is hard to say; maybe it’s a subtle back-pedal on HDYS; maybe it’s John’s way of showing he’s matured/expanded his tastes over the years; maybe it’s just a shout-out to Paul? Or maybe he’s just speaking freely, and the Paul reference is incidental. In any case, thank you so much for bringing this to our attention! If I’d read it before, I’d overlooked it.

P.S. If you are new to Beatles Deepfandom (I agree, this should become a thing!), I actually recommend Understanding Lennon/McCartney. It gives a TON of information without all the commentary, so you’re free to interpret and draw your own conclusions. And if you're into rabbitholes, this series is over 10 hours long, so get ready for the deepest of dives!