#me? posting something other than the mcelroys?

[teruthecreator]

i dont know what it is but i cannot be hyperfixated on a show like other people can. like if i were to rlly itemize all of my hyperfixations and do a pie chart of media genre, a good 90% of them will be video games! whether i myself played the game or if i just watched a playthrough is irrelevant bc it was still a game 

#ignorance cloud on #honestly the only show i ever hyperfixated on was su. i was on the mcelroy kick for a while but thats podcasts #i have my longstanding love for the rankin/bass stopmotion holiday films #but other than that! the rest are games #undertale deltarune smile for me everhood bug fables project sekai #not to mention the games i love but i never like posted about that much like stardew valley and vampire hunters #NOPE thats vampire survivors actually. and while looking at my homepage to check i also saw plants vs zombies which YEAH i was obsessed w #for like a good month or two!!!! my friends can testify #i think i just like. having a part in the media #like w podcasts what i loved is that i controlled how the scenes played out in my head #i was actively imagining how it would be 'shot' and what everything looked like. it wasnt passive listening #and obvs w games like. u Play them. or if u watch a playthrough u see other people play them! #and u always have that thought of how u wouldve played it different #but w movies or tv shows there isnt a lot of activity on the side of the viewer. ur just. watching it happen #and i guess thats why its so disinteresting to me now? bc i cant do anything #i just have to sit there and watch and if my focuses diverges for even a SECOND then ill miss something #and by that point id be so annoyed w having to constantly rewind that id abandon the show altogether #which is why i prefer movies to shows if im to watch Anything bc shows are contained media #(well. the ones i watch are.) #u dont have to dedicate 30 hours to getting the whole story. everything is there within a like 60-90 minute format #so i can dedicate that amount of time to actually focusing! #idk. just some food for thought #*movies. i meant movies in that one tag but im not going back to edit it. context clues ull figure it out

[utilitycaster]

If this isn’t something you’re interested, feel free to ignore this, but I really appreciated your thoughtful exploration of player approach/ play-style of the CR cast.

I’d love to know any similar insights you have on the playstyle of main-season D20 players, or any other actual play group you feel like writing about.

Again, totally understand if that’s not something you’re interested in delving into, just thought I’d ask!

Thanks! (For those wondering this is in reference to this post; this follow-up may also be relevant, and ignore what November 2023 me said, feel free to ask if you're confused). The only other show I could really attempt to do this for is NADDPod: it needs to be something longform (discounts D20), across multiple campaigns but in a similar system (discounts RQG and BCBP for only being one campaign and TAZ for doing a lot of system hopping - TAZ is also just tough because I came into it via MBMBAM so I already had very non-Actual Play perceptions of the McElroy brothers), and have a pretty long body of work (discounts Worlds Beyond Number). D20's explicit genre requirements also make this very difficult, because some of this is informed by the types of characters they make in a similar setting.

Also, and you will see this with NADDPod below: an explicitly comedic vibe (D20, TAZ) makes it harder not because it's not a good way to run an actual play show, but because if you set those genre expectations, I think people gravitate to a different style. For example, everyone in D20 will do Big Red Button stuff because they're comedians; and no one is terribly naturalistic. This is also why incorporating shorter form shows is tough: for example, Sam and Laura went hard in Candela Obscura (and Sam in EXU Calamity), to great and fantastic effect in my opinion, despite being relatively cautious players in the main campaigns; Marisha and Liam, who tend towards big moments, have both shown some wonderful reserve and played background support roles in Candela and in their EXU series.

NADDPod is still tough because the roles one falls into in a three person party are a bit more rigid. Emily, Caldwell, and especially Jake tend to have pretty strong preferences and that informs a lot, but I am going to attempt it:

Emily and Caldwell are rules optimists; Jake is a rules realist. Murph is also a rules realist. (actually, I can answer this specific one for D20 since it's not arc-dependent - Ally is an optimist, Siobhan is like, a realistic optimist, Zac is a realist, and Lou is a realist but he WILL razz you extremely hard if you say he can't do something).

Narrative is tough because with a three person party, everyone has a LOT of screentime. I also think that fundamentally, Murph runs games where everyone has a clear investment in an overarching plot, which is much easier to do in a natural way with three players than with seven. With that said Emily is all over the place - I think Moonshine and Callie have very internal and more background arcs compared to Fia who is much more milestone. Caldwell bounces between Big Red Button and Milestone in that like, as a result of a milestone he will then press the big red button and do something wild. Jake is very big red button to me.

Acting style is particularly difficult here because like, most comedians are going to ham it up on occasion. Caldwell is definitely the most dramatic-leaning and Jake the most naturalistic with Emily in-between.

Themes:

Emily: responsibility especially re: family/mentor expectations; determining what she wants rather than what others want (tied into the above); romantic relationships

Caldwell: also family/mentor relationships; identity but not in an "am I the mask way" and much more in a coming of age/figuring it out way.

Jake: ALSO family/mentor relationships; the mask/insecurity; letting go

#answered #pawthorn #naddpod tag #d20 tag

[physicsfox7]

Teehee.

Another late night post. I wrenched my back reaching for my phone charger, and now I think I might sleep on the couch so I dont exacerbate it.

So I'm watching the McElroy brothers play Super Mario World, have a heating pad pushing on my ouchies. And with Christmas coming up, lets do a teensy thought bubble.

This year has been absolutely crazy. A year ago I was negotiating a ridiculous raise at my last company, as everything fell apart around us because they had just demoted the obly other project manager. Meanwhile, my boss and the owner of the company was in South America because he doesn't like cold weather.

Now I'm unemployed, Kenna has a job, and I've spent most of the year playing video games and napping. No job prospects as of now, but who knows what this week holds.

We used our tax return money to fund a dream trip to Japan. We got a whole house to ourselves, finally got passports, registered for the train pass, and planned so many things.

We skipped the trip because I couldn't hold my anxiety in check after opening up the Pandora's box of emotional mess that is me. And neither of us regrets it. We haven't complained that we missed out. Other than the loss of money (almost the whole fucking trip sadly) were good with it.

Now onto my all time favorite subject. My friends.

This year, I reaffirmed my love for many old friends, and got closer with a few. I lost a couple to differences of opinions, and I just can't bring myself to be broken hearted. They have hate in their heart, I just can't. Finally, I met people who changed my whole world.

Last year, I got to attend a friends wedding and meet him for the first time, and I thought I was going to die. We had a wonderful time, and the warmth of the hugs I got changed me forever.

Earlier this year, I befriended my beloved Oat. I have a friend that I can bullshit with, who can somehow get me talling about the deepest stuff, who makes me feel heard and felt. She helped me with so much, including my mental health, relationship help, self confidence, and my streaming. Oat, I think you'll see this. I need you on my stream again soon, I miss you! Forehead kisses!

Then in August, while streaming some batshit crazy stuff (encouraged as always by Oat! < 3) I got raided. I figured cool, another Zelda streamer, maybe we can help each other out. Tch, to underestimate something so drastically. Not only did she inspire me to up my streaming game, Rachine collabs with me, has brought me tons of followers, workshops streams and tech issues with me (sometimes live on air) and most importantly, become one of my closest, dearest friends. She pushed me to play some of her favorite games, and brought me back to FFXIV. She encourages me and inspires me to try new things. (And yes, you're always right).

She also let me join her FC, and opened up a whole new world of friends. I have befriended some of the warmest, kindest people who went out of their way to make me feel welcome. They run dungeons, they answered questions, they carried my ass.

Finally, Jengo (who is not online other than streaming. Purest of us.) Who is part of Rachine's FC. She was the first one to essentially insist I run a dungeon with her, she made time for me to walk me through my combos, has mentored my climbing skills, answers more questions than anyone.

All of them also sit in VC with me when I'm having anxiety or breakdowns, support me when I doubt, encourage me. They are my family and I just...

Look, I know I dont shut up about them. This isn't a grab for brownie points, it's not attention. Its me workshopping how to express my deep love and gratitude to them without making them uncomfortable or laying it on too thick. Maybe they never read this, maybe they never have to put up with it for the fifth time this week. How do you properly express it to them? Telling someone you love them only gets me so far. Even with Kenna. After 17 years, saying I love you doesnt feel like the proper way to tell her shes my world.

As I regularly talk about, I am not a brief person. I am almost pathologically incapable of keeping any kind of explanation short. After a certain point, a 60 paragraph diatribe on how important someone is gets tired. I love my friends.

Its been an up and down year, but I have to say I wouldnt trade it for anything. I need those people in my life, because I am a gigantic baby and the alternative is I have internet access and no friends. That would be worse than what you have to read now.

To my friends: thank you. I love you. Happy holidays. Thank you.

#tell your friends you love them #mental health #wholesome #friends #hugs and kisses #forehead kisses #hugs

[sarah-dipitous]

Hellsite Nostalgia Tour 2023 Day 67

Metamorphosis/Daleks In Manhattan

“Metamorphosis”

Would I Survive the First Five Minutes??: I would legitimately never be in this situation, so sure

ooooooo now we get to find out all the things Sam’s been up to…and so does Dean…

This is only slightly more awkward and strained than the McElroys’ “don’t do a hit” PSA. Maybe both of these are signs to separate business and family

This show’s so fucking weird. They spent the first three seasons either ignoring the existence of a god or just flat out not believing in one, but now…NOW god does not want Sam to be doing what he’s doing

Whatever is happening to this man is really difficult to take while I’m eating lunch and having the sound pumped directly into my ears. It’s like bones cracking or even breaking. Eugh

I forgot Dean didn’t know Sam knew about the demon blood……it’s getting FAR more awkward than “don’t do a hit.”

Ew. Dude, is that RAW MEAT??? I hate watching this on my lunch. It’s always the WORST episodes…

They really use the most thinly veiled metaphors to parallel whatever conflict is going on between Sam and Dean, like, one sheet of saran wrap thin

I miss the days when they’d pull off to the side of the road to have nice little heart to hearts not yelling “I’VE GOT DEMON BLOOD IN ME, DEAN!!”

How long after hearing the phrase “long pig” did Dean start to come up with alternatives like “manburger helper”?

It’s not funny to have two men in their mid to late twenties carrying makeshift flame throwers break down your door, but hearing “we’re here to save you…I guess” and “we should leave” “yeah” almost immediately after kinda is. It’s only funny because the audience knows Sam and Dean

Aw, fuck. The other hunter’s gotten involved now…noooo, is this guy’s wife pregnant??? Fuck. Fuck. Fuck…

It’s the gross, wet sounds of this dude LITERALLY feasting on this hunter for me…can’t blame the wife for running away screaming after watching that

The boys showing up 15 minutes late with Starbucks…ooooo, a floor fit for a children’s hospital (how many times will this show give me the opportunity to use that joke??)

Well, that COULD have been a nice moment for Dean to reassure Sam if Jack hadn't attacked.

I’ll have to find it (maybe) but I once read a post about how Sam’s storyline in these first seasons especially tells a very queer coded story, and this episode really really hits you in the face with it. Like, yes, bi Dean and whatever…but there IS something to the heartache that Sam feels being othered to his own family by this thing he had no control over. This wasn’t his choice. It’s really resonant when Sam makes the decision to stop using his psychic powers because they made Dean uncomfy...Dean who has used "god doesn't want you doing this" but also only very recently started MAYBE believing there's a god? Sam think Dean believes he's a freak and less than human or at least other than human, sometimes saying that he's getting closer and closer to the things they hunt instead. I just...I see it.

“Been On My Mind…”: I think I’m gonna do a countdown…if in 10 episodes’ time I haven’t had a yes? I’m discontinuing this segment

"Daleks In Manhattan"

Lazlo should watch Supernatural. Then he wouldn't have gone investigating that weird noise and not gotten turned into a strange pig hybrid

I have a terrible feeling this is one of those two part episodes based solely on the fact that I'm struggling to say anything about this one. The Doctor and Martha are in 1930 NYC, and we're getting a lot of character introductions: the people and specifically the leader of Hooverville, the workers at the Empire State Building, the theater workers (performers and backstage), but nothing's really HAPPENING yet. Though, we're about to get our first glimpse of the Daleks, so that's something at least

There are so many times I'm glad I accidentally fucked up the scheduling and missed an episode of spn because having to hear the term "long pig" all during my lunch and now having these human/pig hybrids has mad that incredibly worth it, and there have been so many other small things that have lined up

Awww baby Andrew Garfield. He's precious, lookin' out for Martha

Somehow I think this foreman trying to get the Empire State Building built for the Daleks is gonna get either killed or turned into something at least close to a Dalek...either way, it's not what he thinks he's gonna get

Nooo, poor baby Andrew Garfield.

oh. that's equal parts terrifying and terrible...the guy who was getting "rewarded" by the Daleks just got...absorbed?? by one? And the CGI!!! Simply atrocious (affectionate)!!!

The showgirl did NOT sign up for all this...well, she's signing up for it NOW, I guess

I can't take this seriously...this is one of the weirdest story lines they've done and......the costuming...again, atrocious (affectionate) The guy who got combined with a Dalek? it looks so bad...

#hellsite nostalgia tour 2023

[helpimsotired]

So I decided to start The Magnus Archives after seeing so many people recommend it.

I’m on episode 3 and have gotten nervous goosebumps every episode?

It is very good so far and I can only assume it gets better.. I’m very excited

#the magnus archives #tma #podcast #me? posting something other than the mcelroys? #personal

[toytulini]

i love listening to the mcelroy podcasts that seem to be like, more tangential to the big ones that everyone seems to focus on, and knowing jack shit about those like, no i dont know mbmbam or taz, im here to listen to sawbones and shmanners and go from there

#toy txt post #technically i think i listen to more smirl podcasts than mcelroy? between sawbones and then i occasionally dive into #still buffering or court appointed #i listened to the buffy episodes of whatever that was where travis and teresa reviewed like the first seasons kf some tv shows? i feel like #i have mbmbam on my list but the last time i tried to listen to it i just couldnt. #i think i watched some of the ones on youtube? i enjoyed those i think cos i could also like. see who was talking #i havent actually listened to griffin yet. i might give wonderful! a shot? maybe. im still catching up on shmanners #i know everyone loves those podcasts that are like. stories like taz and other dnd podcasts and those archives or whatever and like #listen. all of you are valid. but that is not what im here for. maybe in 3 yrs ill be ready for story podcasts who knows #but rn i just want...information. #listening to why are dads is fun but even that takes some effort. im definitely more excited about the ones about movies i at least know of #or have seen like i LOVE the batman returns ep. #anyway all this to say i started listening to the beatrix potter episode of shmanners and travis mcelroy was assigned cottagecore by #his wife teresa and it was SO funny to me and also. mood. me too buddy its okay i feel the same way everytime i put on a sweater lmao #also: i desperately want a sawbones crossover or something with this podcast will kill you. something. an interaction on twitter #im desperate. i want these shows to know Of Each Other. i want sydnee to know about tpwky and do a crossover ep and idk #have teylor help out with the quarantini planning. also im all caught up on tpwky and im sad about it. #i really enjoyed listening to the tpwky and then the sawbones for all the eps where they both covered that topic. if u like sawbones give #tpwky a try its like similar but without justin there being grossed out by parasites and instead its disease ecologists being like #'that is so COOL! I mean it AWFUL for the person infected with the parasite but that life cycle is so FASCINATING' I just feel like #sydnee would get along with the erins okay. and i want to hear them do an episode on a parasite together. also more crossovers w idop

[ofdreamsanddoodles]

i think something people should think about when they insist that like, they’re making fanworks for the “better” version of canon is that people end up consuming media based on what they see about it. i wouldn’t have listened to the adventure zone if i hadn’t seen fanart of it. i got into tma because posts about it made it seem like it was a story about the supernatural with a really large cast of women. (season 1 was a bit disappointing to me) but like, both of these shows also have a lot of fans who draw the characters as people of color, giving people who don’t listen the feeling that the shows themselves are safe for poc.... only to be hit with the fact that pretty much all of the canon poc are antagonistic to the protagonist in some way, or for the creators to be joking about the word for a popular mexican food in the first episode

like, as a latino, i genuinely hated every joke the mcelroys made about taako’s name, and the fact that i heard nothing about it for the first few months i was into taz made me kind of think that other fans didn’t care about latinos bc... why would you not say something about that shit. and i know i could say that about really any fandom--bnha fans calling their fics an au where mineta doesn’t exist doesn’t really prepare a new reader for the abuse & bully apologism, the sexism, the oversexualization of minors, the transmisogyny, etc--but like, after a certain point, the more you rewrite a show, the more you justify the in text bigotry as nothing more than a writing mistake you can ignore, and the more other you encourage other people to do the same, which means the more you increase the possibility of minorities encountering media with bigotry directed at them specifically because to you, it’s just a writing error so they weren’t properly warned

and like. jk rowling didn’t write harry potter the way it is because she was misinformed, she did it because she wanted to write bigotry into her world. because she’s a transmisogynist, and a racist, and an antisemite, and ableist. there is nothing you can say about the work that doesn’t translate into “i think a transmisogynist, who will use every single bit of power she’s gotten from her fame & wealth from being an author to block every single trans positive bill she sees, should have written a better book.” & like... no, actually, i don’t want that. i want my british friends to have access to hormones and to, you know, not have to live in a world where a children’s book author is convincing everyone to hate them

#aster speaks #the thing with rewriting a story is that a lot of time its fine #sometimes writing decisions dont hit the way the fans think they should #but if you're saying like. the only way you can engage in the fandom is to completely rewrite the world #because of the bigotries present in the text #what youre telling me is that you don't actually like this book #so maybe... consider why you still feel the need to defend it? #media

[doubleca5t]

As an Internet person and knower of things, could you tell me why people seem to hate Travis McElroy now? Like. I get that he can be grating sometimes but it feels like people viscerally hate him, and I can’t find any reason why (other than the brothers all being friends with Lin Manuel Miranda which doesn’t explain the specifically Travis oriented hatred) and it’s very confusing to me.

So I've seen him post cringe a couple times but I honestly think most McElroy hate can be chalked up to what I call the "Anne Hathaway Effect". The Anne Hathaway Effect is when you're sort of neutral on something (a celebrity, a show, a video game etc), either because it's not your cup or tea or you just think it's mid, but you start to hate it because no one on your TL will shut up about it. The McElroys are really popular, but they're not for everyone, so they will naturally have a lot of haters.

[noirandchocolate]

Predictions for Animaniacs 2020 Fandom:

Reaction videos of watching the episodes, especially the first one.

Lots of really good art

Lots more art comparing the Warners to the McElroys

People making dark edgy headcanons and AUs about a) the Warners being abused, b) Pinky and the Brain suffering due to lab experiments, c) Slappy Squirrel dying or something, d) Rita and Runt’s life on the streets, etc.

People who like the Brain getting called out because the Brain wants to take over the world for self-aggrandizing reasons and that is Evil

Wakko for Nonbinary Icon (this has already begun, good work everyone you’re valid)

“Incorrect Animaniacs Quotes” and “Texts from Animaniacs” blogs

Wakko and Pinky kinnies being the new GIR kinnies

People finding the ancient comic books and yelling at people who haven’t read them about headcanons not being ‘correct’ based on what’s in them.  People who haven’t read the comics yelling at people who have that the comics are not canon.  Just.  The comics will be a Thing.

Slappy Squirrel is a Lesbian

Art of Slappy Squirrel and Grunkle Stan having a drink together (please someone do this)

People shipping Rita and Runt

People shipping the Warners together and me blocking them

People shipping Pinky and the Brain vs. antis saying this ship is...idk ableist? abusive? queer-baiting? Idk but someone will find something wrong with it.

“I never watched the original show and now I’ve watched a few episodes and I’m disappointed at the sexism.”  (Note:  There is a lot of sexism/sexual harassment in the original cartoon.)  “Anyone who likes the original show is problematic.”  (Note:  Nah.  We just need to view it through a critical lens and understand that the lame parts are lame.)

Crossovers with every single other currently and recently popular piece of media.

WARNERFELL AND WARNERSWAP. 

Two months later, purple ones.  I’m not sure what they do.

People trying to piece together coherent lore for the series and characters rather than just accepting them as time-and-space-traveling cartoon characters who don’t need to make sense.  These will be very interesting posts.

Many, many more self-shippers and my hat is off to them.

Popular Fanon Human Versions of Every Animal/Toon Character

Adult Versions of Every Child Character

Adult Human Versions of Every Character

People who exclusively draw the Anime Warners and have come up with extensive worldbuilding and lore for them that is completely separate from the cartoons.

A headcanon that the Warners purr.

A headcanon that Hello Nurse is ace.

Two hour long informative Youtube videos explaining the lore of the original series/the animation/the music/basically everything to do with it.  There are already videos like this I assume, but there will become more of them.

Metal, electroswing, and other covers and remixes of Yakko’s World and any songs from the new series

In fact it’s likely people have been doing a lot of these things all along but there will be MORE of them.  SO MUCH MORE.

#kidk says stuff #animaniacs

[podcastsaremyjam]

Podcast Recs!

Sometimes it can be difficult to find new fiction podcasts through the jungle of nonfiction ones. I LOVE finding new podcasts through other people’s recommendation’s, so I figured I’d take advantage of tumblr’s “pin a post” feature to pin a list of my favorite podcasts to the top of my page! Be sure to check out the tags on this post too—I try to be pretty consistent with tagging on this account. I’ll keep updating as I find new podcasts!

Fantasy

The Adventure Zone

If you’re into D&D, you’ve probably at least heard of this one, but it’s definitely worth the hype! TAZ was created by the McElroy brothers who, along with their dad Clint, play D&D together. The whole thing is INCREDIBLY hilarious, but each story really gets more complex and interesting as it goes along. The first “season,” TAZ: Balance is my favorite—classic D&D setting following Magnus, Taako, and Merle as they adventure and a larger mystery slowly unfolds. #adventure #dnd #found family

Unseen

A collection of stories set in the same magical universe by the team who created Wolf359. Each episode has been really interesting, and the worldbuilding is really great! #magic #lgbtq+ rep #mental health

The Two Princes

Rupert and Amir are princes of two kindgoms at war who decide to take destiny into their own hands by pursuing the cause of the curse plaguing their kingdoms. To do so, they will have to create an uneasy truce as they forge deeper into the enchanted forest. This podcast is so lovely. The characters growth is just *chef’s kiss* I just found out that seasons 2 & 3 were released exclusively on Spotify, so guess who’s “to listen” list just got longer? #princes #lgbtq+ rep #prophecy #enemies to lovers

Sci-Fi

Girl in Space

Our narrator (who’s name has not been revealed as of the end of season 1) is a young scientist who’s parents have died, leaving her as the sole living inhabitant of the research station Cavatica. Space seems so vast when you only have yourself to talk to...until it isn’t. One of my all time favs—there is so much depth in the story and characters! #space #research #mental health #grief #space station

Directive

Y’all, this one made me cry the first time I listened to it! The story (in season 1) follows Frank as he works as a caretaker watching over the cryogeniclly stored bodies of people on their way to a space colony. It’s such a poginant exploration of the social bonds we take for granted. #space #mental health

Wolf 359

Told through the audio logs of Communications Officer Doug Eiffel , Wolf 359 follows the crew of the Hephaestus as they monitor the star Wolf 359. If I could only recommend 5 podcasts to someone, this one would definitely make the cut. Each of the characters is so well flashed out as the podcast progresses, and the conversations it has about mental illness are handled so well! #space #mental health #space station

Moonbase Theta Out

Ugh, this podcast is so good! The first season follows the researchers and workers on Moonbase Theta as they prepare for base shutdown. However, with political issues threatening the safety of family planetside and those in charge being suspiciously unwilling to provide information on certain topics, our narrator pushes for answers before he goes into cryogenic stasis. Note—the narrator of season one and his husband are sappy and adorable. I love them so muchhhh. #space #politics #lgbtq+ rep #space station

The Orphans

If you love sci-fi, this is the podcast for you! The Orphans tells the story of a universe full of future technologies and humanity continuing to push forward into unknowns. Each season tells a different story arc set in the same universe, interconnecting and building on past seasons. #technology #space #survival

Burst

An adorable anti-capitalist comedy set in space! #space #aliens #lgbtq+ rep #space station

EOS 10

OMG This podcast always makes me laugh so hard! It follows two doctors, a nurse, and a hypochondriac alien patient as they navigate medical appoinments and daily life on the station EOS 10. Shenagains ensue. #space #medical #lgbtq+ rep #aliens #space station

The Strange Case of the Starship Iris

Hooooo boy! Bring on the found family adventures in space we all deserve! Something here about the Each character is just beautifully written, layered in complexities that start to peel away as we get to know them. #aliens #space #found family #lgbtq+ rep

The Bright Sessions

Therapy session recordings of Dr. Bright’s patients. Only, her patients aren’t there for help with anxiety or depression. They’re there because they’re “atypicals,” people with incredible abilities. I love each of the characters in this podcast, and learning more and more as the plot unfolds!

Horror/Supernatural

The Magnus Archives

I don’t normally listen to horror, but I started listening in the middle of the pandemic and HOO BOY. It did not disappoint! The story follows Jonathan Sims working in the archives at the Magnus Institute, an institute dedicated to gathering information about strange and unusual occurances. Each episode is Jon recording himself reading statements people have given in order to better organize the Archives. Starts off a little slow in terms of Jon’s interaction with other characters, but that aspect starts picking up halfway through season 1. #horror #supernatural #lgbtq+ rep

King Falls AM

Though not as terrifying as the other shows in this section, King Falls AM can definitely be unsettling. The show follows Sammy Stevens and Ben Arnold as they host a late night radio show in the not-so-sleepy town of King Falls. Though newcomer Sammy is skeptical of the town’s reputation for supernatural events, there is definitely more to the town and its inhabitants than meets the eye. #supernatural #mental health #lgbtq+ rep

Welcome to Nightvale

My first ever podcast! You’ve probably already decided if Nightvale is your cup of tea if you’re on my blog, but basically WtNV is a radio show covering events that happen in a town where glowing clouds rain dead animals, a country of tiny people exosts under a bowling lane, and librarians will must not escape the library. Vaguely creepy and definitely weird! #supernatural #lgbtq+ rep

Other

Levar Burton Reads

If you love short stories, definitely check this one out! As the title suggests, the immensely talented Levar Burton selects a different short story for each episode and reads it. His selections span lots of genres, and he’s read stories from some of my favorite authors like Neil Gaiman and Nnedi Okorafor!

Me & AU

This podcast is sooooo cute! It follows Kate as she hyperfocuses on a new show called Selkirk and becomes friends with a fellow Selkirk fan named Ella.

Under Pressure

Follows a doctor of literature aboard a deep sea research station three miles underwater.

36 Questions

A musical three part mini-series about the relationship fallout between a husband and wife after the husband discovers that his wife isn’t who she says she is.

#podcast reccomendation #podcasts #podcast recs #podcast #fiction podcasts #audio drama #taz #taz balance #unseen #the two princes #girl in space #directive #wolf359 #mto #the orphans #burstpod #eos10 #tscosi #tbs #tma #kfam #wtnv #levar burton reads #me & au pod #under pressure #36 questions

[phemiec]

I don’t wanna be too evasive and feel free not to answer this ! But you and shauna have such a good relationship and it makes me feel like love might be actually real. How do u do it ?

Not sure how to answer this without being cliched or annoying but i’ll give it a shot? i have a relationship advice tag too that i’ll put this in, but most of my posts in there are from like 6 years ago when Shauna and I had only been together 2-3 years, so they’re a little more honeymoon-phasey I guess

A big part of it is luck in finding a person who wants the same thing from a relationship that you do, Who’s willing to work at it with you and meet you halfway.

Big obvious thing is, communication, don’t bottle things up, don’t go to bed angry, don’t fight an argument over subtext in your head. This is especially important if you/your partner have anxiety or other mental health issues. If concerns or problems or doubts or any bad feeling come up, talk them out right away. Listen to what your partner is actually saying, not what you think they might be subtextually implying. And when you are discussing your feelings with them be as honest and transparent as possible. A relationship without trust and honesty cannot last.

Check in with your partner, ask for help when you need it and offer it in turn. In a long term partnership especially when you live together, there will develop a balance of responsibility and caretaking, and ideally, always try to be contributing to that balance more than you’re taking from it. Justin McElroy said in one of his podcasts once that in a marriage the effort into the relationship should be 60/40 with both people trying to be the 60 and expecting their partner to be the forty and I really agree with that.

Of course we can’t always be at our best, but in times when we have no energy, or are in a bad space, it’s especially important to be as loving, patient, and appreciative as we can with our partners who are there with us through the hard times. If you want to say “thank you”, don’t say “i’m sorry”. When we feel like burdens it’s sometimes tempting to take out our own self hatred and frustration on the people who love us, fight this impulse. Let your partner know how much you appreciate the effort they put into your relationship and gracefully accept their love, absorb it and feel it and let it uplift you in the hard times. I promise, the opportunity for you to return that effort for them in their dark times will also arise. 

On top of all that heavy stuff of effort and communication etc. Don’t underestimate the powerful tool that is humor and silliness! Keeping playfulness alive in your interactions esp with a romantic partner is, I think, just as vital as communication. When things get really dark in life, shared humor and levity can be a lighthouse! Don’t take yourselves, each other or even your relationship too seriously. Be goofy and dorky with each other, play and laugh and do things to make the other person smile. Playfulness and curiosity is also, I think, vital to keeping a romantic/sexual spark alive in a relationship, if that’s something that’s important to you. Be curious and excited to keep learning new things about your partner, when you’ve been with someone a long time you can start assuming you know everything about that person, which of course isn’t true, we’re all always learning and growing and changing. Give your partner room to change and grow, and give yourself that permission too, and then have fun reintroducing yourselves! :p

Anyway yeah.... that’s what I’ve got!

Tl;dr 

Communicate openly and honestly, show appreciation, let yourselves grow and change. Be kind, generous, playful, curious, trusting and vulnerable with each other. The rest is up to fate and finding a person willing to do those things equally for you.

#relationship advice #advice #asks #anonymous #cricketblogging #long post

[honeyed-beans]

hey I’ve never listened to TAZ, but lately I’ve gotten an insane urge to do so... is it ok if I start with this new one? Do I need the context of all others?

Is Travis a really bad DM???

Hi!

(I’m so sorry this answer came out very long because I went on a Graduation analysis so if it’s too much than scroll to the bottom!)

To start with the first q. You can absolutely start on Ethersea first if you want! The fun part about TAZ is that it’s a anthology series. And the McElroy don’t tend to spoil or make large connections to other campaigns. At most they might reference a character name as a joke, but they don’t tend to dwell on it. It’s only vague references at best. So I would always suggest picking up whichever season speaks the most to you aesthetics wise, and/or whichever one is currently running, cause tbh it’s always nice to see real-time reactions from fans if you want to be in fandom spaces. AHS rules essentially.

For example, I’ve really gotten into Taz this past year, but I have never finished TAZ Amnesty so it’s definitely dealers choice.

Taz Ethersea is kind of a unique scenario because they’re doing a new game system. So the first couple of episodes are just world building and explaining the new system. It gives you time to decide if you want to listen to it now or not, because despite the first ep coming out today, the real game doesn’t start for another 3 weeks or so. Dw you’re not missing much right now.

The brief, no spoilers, descriptions of each campaign:

- Balance = A comedic globetrotting adventure story, with modern elements on a fantasy world. Techno music, very tongue in cheek. It’s the longest one, so storywise it’s a bit of a slow burn as the McElroys find their style. But because of its length it gives more time for the characters to breathe and thus it’s sorta the iconic golden child of TAZ. Most people would rec this one but I know the commitment can be kinda big if your not feeling it. So if another season takes your fancy more than go for that one instead.

- Amnesty = small-town americana, cryptids, sorta scooby doo / monster of the week vibe. Very eerie southern music.

- Commitment (superheroes) / Dust (what if Halloween town had cowboys in it) = these I wouldn’t suggest for a first time listen because they were experimental short stories. With 4 episodes each. None are DMed by Griffin. But very fun in their own right.

- Graduation = Comedic, intrigue, fantasy, takes place in one location (a university), plays on the themes of growing up. Very soft, lighthearted, calming soundtrack with a lot of slow notes. This one is Travis as the DM.

- Ethersea = we don’t know anything about it yet. Post-apocalypse underwater season. Very dreamy water inspired music?

Ok so q2: Is Graduation Bad and is Travis a Bad DM?

Short answer? This campaign was polarising. There are some real critiques to be made on Travis’s style. But I think some aspects of critique have been blown out of proportion. In essence he wasn’t fully prepared to helm a show with a really demanding fan base that had high expectations. But I think Grad was good actually!

Longer answer:

Some people bring up stuff about his disabilities or how he acted outside of the show. I’m just viewing it from a objective stance of someone who listened to the episodes as they came out.

Trav has a tendency to have a lot of ideas he wants to show off and unfortunately tended to jump around a lot. So plot points that I personally may have wanted more time to explore got introduced and dropped a lot. Made worst by the fact that it’s a short season. If there’s not a lot of time to explore everything than weaker pacing becomes more evident. Moreover he wasn’t Griffin, and some people think Griffin can do no wrong and there is certainly favouritism for some fans.

BUT I loved it!! Definitely my favourite! It had a really engaging setting I was all over. And it had the strongest main cast out of all of them. Each main character had a good plot, with good progression, and most importantly they spent time developing a bind with eachother. Something that some of the campaigns don’t spend much time doing. They were a trio for a reason, not because events forced them to be. And it sucks that people are dismissing Grad so much because of it!

People got so upset it wasn’t living up to their expectations of Balance that they got hostile which made Grad likers hostile in return. On Twitter every post from the official page had comments begging them to end Grad immediately because it was shit and we deserved better?? So they tried to end it quickly to please these yelling fans and that only made a ending with more plot holes, and thus more complaining. There was a episode where Trav made a joke that a character handed them a chalice full of liquidised drugs at a party, and than the main cast decided to drink it. And the tag was just filled with people saying that Travis was encouraging drug taking to kids?????

At the end of the day Grad was still a fun comedy dnd podcast with lovable characters 🥰 I would suggest listening to it if it’s your cup of tea. As long as your aware that Trav is clumsier with pacing than Griff than you’re in for a pretty wild and very very ‘fun with little consequence’ campaign! Ironically most of these problems would be fixed if Graduation had more episodes lmao.

Tldr: Pick whichever one you like! TAZ is a anthology that doesn’t run into eachother so follow your heart! Technically Ethersea hasn’t started yet. I love Graduation a lot but Travis struggles to keep all his balls in the air so if that will annoy you a lot than I would understand leaving it for now. But I don’t think it’s as bad as some people make it out to be.

This was probably a lot of info to drop on you but if you want to clarify anything, or just chat don’t hesitate to send me a dm! TAZ is super fun and a nice way to occupy your time while your doing other tasks. I hope you enjoy it! ❤️

#thanks for asking super sorry about the long reply #hope that’s slightly helpful! #taz #also hello how are you my old school mutual!

[utilitycaster]

@ulidig I wanted to respond to this reblog but without putting a giant response in OPs notes, but I think the original post is spot-on: it's not entirely about selling out, and for some people it's probably not that at all.I think it is the feeling of a loss of access to the cast.

To be honest, that's always been something that is weird for me. I have pretty rigidly defined boundaries for parasocial interactions; it creeps me out when people are overly familiar in any scenario. But I do get it; if you watch early campaign 1 episodes, they were cheering for every few new viewers, and I think the fans ordered them pizza at one point. Dani Carr essentially got her job through the early fandom.

The thing is it hasn't been like that for a very long time; the fandom is just too big and there have unfortunately been several incidents where fans felt they were entitled to access, and pulling back seems very reasonable.

I think gen z is actually much worse about this (I'm a millennial); it feels like with some people there is a sense that if someone is on social media it's akin to meeting them in person and you can ask things that are wildly inappropriate.

There are things I'll miss; I suspect that Talks just won't be able to take fandom questions, and some of those questions made for great moments. But it really is more than almost any show does - to submit questions to NADDPod and D20, both of which have large but not quite as huge audiences, you need to have a paid subscription.

In terms of fandom I've been in, it reminds me McElroy brothers; if you listen to live shows from 2011 and 2012 they would go get beer with the fans, and that is just not really doable when you're filling a concert hall vs. when you're filling a stand-up comedy venue.

I think this gets conflated with "selling out" in the sense that once something gets popular it can feel less personal, even though what it means to any individual fan shouldn't, in my opinion, rely on whether there are 10 other fans or 10 million. But I agree with the original post that the complaint really isn't about sponsors or merchandise; it's people mad about the very natural consequences of something they like getting popular.

#on fandom #i'm not maintagging just because it feels like it's not really about that but feel free to do so if you want

[fanishjuli]

I posted 3,136 times in 2021

125 posts created (4%)

3011 posts reblogged (96%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 24.1 posts.

I added 4,187 tags in 2021

#art - 926 posts

#good omens - 606 posts

#crowley - 493 posts

#aziraphale - 431 posts

#star trek - 413 posts

#ineffable partners - 288 posts

#taz - 279 posts

#good omens art - 275 posts

#ineffable husbands - 243 posts

#hc - 233 posts

Longest Tag: 137 characters

#op this is a personal attack you came into my house showed me the cutest fucking art ever and ate my beating heart tjank you so much 💖🥰

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

I just realized that actually it's a common fanon trope for characters to retire out in a cottage by the sea?? like Sherlock & Watson have their cottage with bees in Sussex, Aziraphale & Crowley have their cottage with a big garden with at least one apple tree in the South Downs, Joe/Yusuf & Nicky/Nicolò have their cottage in Malta... I'm sure there's more I'm missing but these three just came to mind

134 notes • Posted 2021-10-02 03:30:10 GMT

#4

s3 Juno Steel would absolutely consider the Murderous Mask case as his and Nureyev first date and the whole Utgard Express thing as their second date

168 notes • Posted 2021-04-30 13:39:27 GMT

#3

not to be a sentimental gay but sometimes I remember that Lup and Barry Bluejeans spent a century falling in love every day, watching eachother die a hundred times and loving eachother again the next day, loving eachother so much that their love was enough to anchor them to reality, sanity and magic, that their love anchored to their physical presence after they gave up their physical bodies in hopes of increasing their chances of living, of making it out alive, of giving their family a little bit more of them, of not having to loose eachother as much, as often, and I end up sobbing

246 notes • Posted 2021-03-13 02:35:19 GMT

#2

sometimes I remember that this dude, this need, this funky bluejeans wearer ass of a nerd, he just loved his wife so fucking much, he went fuckikg down in history remembered as The Lover. of all the frankly amazing shit he did, all his mind-blowingly impossible shit he accomplished in the realm of necromancy, of all the nerd shit he must've done in a century visiting different planes of existence, becoming one of the most stables liches in existence by associating his core magic to positive emotions rather than negative— which, until he did it, was something previously unexplored and probably impossible by the way— of all the fucking amazing shit this dude did?? and he was remembered the most by how fuckikg much he loves his fucking wife??

he's a nerd who hears blue jeans and probably makes bad puns and he's like legit the most powerful necromancer and lich ever (next to said wife) and he probably likes watching softball or some other lame ass shit like that, and he's fucking known and remembered across the fucking multi-planar-verse as The Lover because he loves his wife That Fuckikg Much I'm in tears what the fuck how does a nerd with the name Barry J. Bluejeans makes me cry so much

541 notes • Posted 2021-04-07 03:22:40 GMT

#1

It’s been almost four years since but Griffin McElroy invented love and I’m still not over it:

(...) And, in watching them play this composition, you realize, really for the first time, just how profoundly Barry and Lup’s relationship has changed.

Time is different for the seven of you, than it has been for anyone else who ever lived. During your one-hundred year journey, you don’t age thanks to whatever forces keep putting you back together at the beginning of each year. Your minds stay sharp. You learn skills and languages and new proficiencies. You become remarkably capable adventurers during your voyage on the Starblaster. But it’s not just your minds that develop, across this ageless century, something less quantifiable develops too.

Our capacity for love increases with each person we cross paths with throughout our lives, and which each moment we spend with those people. But, too often we neglect that part of ourselves in favor of others. And by the time we realize just how important that is, we find ourselves with fewer folks around to practice with. But the seven of you have something that nobody else ever had: time. All the time in the world. Time enough to grow indescribably close. Time enough to- to learn how to care for each other, how to allow yourselves to be cared for. And in the case of Barry and Lup, time enough to fall deeply and truly in love.

Barry felt it first. During a particularly challenging year, Lup caught him crying. And she softly and sincerely consoled him, and just for a moment, the professional wall between them came down. And something shown through. Lup wasn’t far behind. Her moment of realization was a bit more innocuous. During that cycle with the- the robots, Barry helped repair the- the small frame of a vessel housing a particularly rambunctious spirit, and it kept shocking him, and laughing. And Lup laughed too, and she knew.

This new love, it- it wasn’t their focus during the journey. Barry worked tirelessly to understand each world you traveled to, to- to understand the Hunger and figure out a way to defeat it. Lup grew furiously in arcane power, studying the mystical secrets of the planes, hoping to master whatever spell would break your team out of their desperate retreat. But there were moments between those studies, meals shared in secret, just the two of them under the guise of their work, sightseeing trips for two across these doomed worlds. And that love grew, and it grew, until it reached the point that all great loves grow toward: the point of... inevitability.

Looking back, this performance is where that love that Barry and Lup cultivated quietly and cautiously over the last half century truly bloomed. There was romance in every measure, and longing in every note. And after the performance, they- they take each other’s hands high in the air, and they swoop down for this over-the-top bow, just laughing at- at the drama of it all. And the audience cheers. And Barry and Lup laugh, and they don’t let each other’s hands go. And then they stop laughing, and they don’t let each other’s hands go. And they keep not letting go. And Lup says, “Barry, do you wanna go talk somewhere for a while?” And Barry says, “Yeah.”

And Lup goes and puts their sheet music up on the pedestal, and there’s a flash of light from the cave. And the beautiful duet they just played is gone from your minds, and seconds later there’s a second flash, and the song returns, and there’s a roar of applause from the audience. And Barry and Lup’s professor is searching for them in the crowd, just hoping to congratulate them. But they’re already gone, running back up the valley to the Conservatory, hand in hand.

The Adventure Zone: Balance Arc - (Episode 64) - The Stolen Century - Chapter Five - June 1st 2017

(bolding is mine)

905 notes • Posted 2021-04-26 18:10:48 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

#my 2021 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #me #mine #Tumblr

[nokikissa]

since you listen to so many, any good podcasts? I like fantasy/horror/comedy stuff, if you have any in that genre

Haaa well I'm just gonna list all of them in here (also listing them like generally rather than specifically directed at you as like I know you know a lot of these already but describing them anyways), hope you like McElroy adjacent content or DnD podcasts cos otherwise I don't got much to offer ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Misc podcasts:

My Brother, My Brother And Me

welp almost everybody knows this one, a long running comedic "advice" podcasts where the McElroy brothers answer questions and other silly stuff

Sawbones

Justin McElroy and Dr Sydnee McElroy talk about weird medical stuff like how things used to be treated in the past and some more recent weird fake treatments that pop up, tho now in the covid times has been bit more recent and covid related episodes. Usually pretty silly and fun, tho there's been some more serious and somber episodes about like some extremely fucked up stuff people used to do regarding medicine and like some of the recent covid eps are bit heavier as well.

Wonderful!

Griffin McElroy and his wife Rachel McElroy just talk about thing that they find wonderful and they like and so on. Really nice chill vibes.

Til Death Do Us Blart

The McElroy brothers and hosts of The Worst Idea of All Time podcasts watch and then talk about the movie Paul Blart Mall Cop 2 each year during thanksgiving, supposedly continuing this til they die. Absolute madness.

The Besties

Video game podcast hosted by Griffin and Justin McElroys and Chris Plante and Russ Frushtick from Polygon, they just talk about video games, new releases and occasionally some themed episodes.

The Empty Bowl

A meditative podcasts about cereal hosted by Justin McElroy and cereal blogger Dan Goubert, they talk about like cereal news and review new cereals they've eaten in a low chill voice. I don't eat cereal, and wouldn't even have access to the products they talk about in the show, but I enjoy the chill vibe and also I've always been fascinated learning about junk food from other countries. Also my answer to the listener question got used in one episode (59 if I remember right), so I was kinda in one of the episodes that's... something.

MusicalSplaining

Haha this one is weird for me... A musical hater and musical enjoyer watch musicals and then discuss them. Like I don't care about musicals, have not seen pretty much any of the things they talk about it this, but ended up listening to it as I followed one of it's host's other works so was like sure I'll give it a go, and well I do enjoy it, the hosts have very good banter and dynamic so it was enjoyable to listen to it even if I knew almost nothing about the subject matter. Recently went through a bit of a revamp as one of it's hosts left for now and there's a new co-host now, so far it still seems alright but can't say for sure before getting more episodes with the current set up.

Still Buffering

For a long time this was a podcast about teen life from three siblings who one of them was a teenager herself, but now recently they revamped the show as the youngest sibling isn't teenager anymore and I started listening after that revamp. Now it's a show where each week one of the siblings picks a piece of media that's in some way important to them and then they all watch/read/listen/etc. to it and discuss it. I find their conversations quite enjoyable to listen to, and there's bit of a age difference between the youngest and the oldest so it varies nicely what sort of stuff they bring.

DnD Podcasts:

The Adventure Zone

Once again almost everyone knows this one already, the McElroy brothers play dnd or other tabletop rpgs with their dad, very comedic tone which I like a lot. Based on some posts I think some parts of the internet have decided that it is cringe now but idk I still like it, one of my top faves

Dungeons and Daddies

Very funny DnD podcasts about dads from our world who ended up in fantasy realm. One of my top faves.

Not Another D&D Podcast

Haha my opinions on this one are... complicated. At first I gave it a try and gave up after few episodes cos I wasn't getting into it, didn't care for one of the characters which is kinda big when there's only 3 and so on. But then later on gave it another try and when it got to the proper plot stuff it got good, it got really good! And the character I didn't like at the start got better as well, they didn't do the weird jokes and stuff as much that made me dislike them and they got some very good moments. So in general the podcast is very good... but there's still some things that get on my nerves, like god I hate their ad reads so much! There's usually like 3 per episode and they're very direct ad copy reads with the sort of tone of voice that gets on my nerves for some reason, advertising stuff like sex toy shop like wtf I don't wanna hear podcast hosts tell me how to spice up my bedroom life or whatever. And also they thank their patreon supporters every episode, so the last 20 minutes of every episode is like patreon shout outs which is annoying that I gotta do the effort of going to skip all that.

Rude Tales of Magic

Oh this one is... weird. In a good way mostly. But yeah like weird is the best descriptor for it. The world building is bizarre, the characters are bit weird as well like the cast includes a skeleton and a Sasquatch, and the DMs way of describing things is so unhinged and weird and I love it. Tho at the beginning of the cast they had bit annoyingly much of like lowbrow poop humor etc. but afterwards they stopped doing that as much.

bomBARDed

Podcast where all the player characters are multiclassed into bards, and they make like a song every episode as the players are all musicians in a band together, and sometimes they sorta briefly explaing some music theory stuff as well haha? Anyway yeah it's fun, and now the plot is getting quite interesting as well.

The Oxventure Podcast

Podcast version of the Outside Xbox youtube channel's dnd campaign, this one's alright. Like I don't get the "oh fuck yeah new episode is out!" feeling I get for a lot of the other ones but it's still fun and something to listen to at work haha.

Dames and Dragons

It's named that because when it started as it was supposed to be like all women dnd podcast but that turned out to be not correct lmao. But anyway it is very good, it has good balance of like plot heavy stuff and humor. And it has delightful tumblr hellsite energy and humor which I quite enjoy.

Burnt Cook Book Party

Okay this one is Pathfinder rather than DnD but haha close enough. It's a pretty new one, there's only 6 episodes so far but I've enjoyed it so far and am eager to see how it'll go.

Cast Party

Oh Cast Party my new beloved... This one is the newest one I've listened to and definitely made it my top faves immediately. The podcast is like about 5 people who were on the hollywood set of a fantasy movie being filmed that got transported to fantasy realm and gotta now try to figure out how to get back. The characters are all extremely likeable and have good chemistry, and the worldbuilding is quite good as well. Caught up with the last currently released episode like yesterday and now I'm all aww man I gotta wait for more??? :c

Honorary mentions of no longer active podcasts:

History of Fun

This was Polygon's podcast about like stuff that's fun, each episode one of the hosts picked some thing that's considered fun and researched the history of it and shared it in the podcast. No longer active but still worth listening to the backlog of it.

Second Best

I quite liked this dnd podcast, it had fun cast of characters and the plot was getting very interesting.... but then it went on a break during the pandemic and eventually they announced that sadly they wouldn't be continuing it anymore. Such a shame. 😔

#pointless text post is pointless

[helpimsotired]

That super relatable moment when you’re having a breakdown but also trying to appear cultured in front of your crush

*screams in french*

#personal #wtf #what am i supposed to tag this #french #comedy #humor #joke #breakdown #mental health #meltdowns #me? posting something other than the mcelroys? #crush #relatable