#like their potential dynamic is everything to me

[smallsies]

Audio Drama Sunday — May 26, 2024

It's been tragically long since I had the time to make one of these posts amidst the rise in jam chaos & other things over the last few weeks, but the event officially concluded yesterday with the release of 14 new pilots!!

In all honesty this event consumed most of my life so far this year, but I am incredibly excited to be on the other side of it - having released the first episode of my debut audio drama, @spacespeckspod as well ! - with so many wonderfully talented people. These shows are beyond incredible, so I just want to dedicate today to talking about them! (& I truthfully haven't listened to anything except jam shows as of late, lol)

@gavinswindowpod - "In-universe TTRPG" is always such a fun angle, and this show did a stellar job balancing the different directions that can take. Listening to the character's conversations feels very much like overhearing a group playing, all of the actors did an incredible job with that! & I'm looking forward to more in the future :)

@theichorousrotpod - Firstly, G knocked it out of the park with the music in this show, it's incredible. Secondly, "pathetic guy trapped by the horrors" is beloved and very well done, Sam is an incredibly talented writer and the cast did a stellar job bringing these characters to life. (I would let Dr. Yates perform top surgery on me etc etc.)

@thefinderskeeperpod - Beyond with being two of the nicest people ever, Lemon and Maddie's character dynamics in this was SUCH a joy to witness. "Grizzled old man & clueless newcomer walk into a bank, except there is something incredibly wrong with the bank teller" is spectacular, the sound design was, of course, spectacular, and I'm very excited to hear more.

@valdiviansfinest - Clear bias in saying this, but space shows are SO fun, and the Valdivian's Finest team did an amazing job showcasing all of the best parts of the genre. I don't have enough good things to say about this show, I love space Amazon and don't think the courier service has ever done anything wrong ever.

@working-tidal-pod - Taking points off for Louis spawning the "it's a comedy" joke that became a constant reference when we were listening to shows (/lh) BUT the writing is so funny, the sibling dynamic feels incredibly realistic and all of the actors are amazing and very talented. Feesh show has the potential to become a go-to comfort podcast, looking forward to hearing more!

@asbestos4president - This show is incredibly fun, "alien Twitch streamer" isn't a podcast I ever thought I would encounter, but the team did an absolutely fantastic job with their pilot. The writing is really funny in the classic aliens-misunderstanding-human-concepts way, with more modernized in-jokes that makes the characters feel very realistic!!

@beyondrepairpod - Extra props to this group as they were the event match team, with much less time to organize before scriptwriting, but managed to put together a stellar pilot. Hope was so well-done, the ship AI is VERY normal and you can absolutely trust them, shoutout to Pancake for their absolutely spectacular acting there!

@worldfusepodcast - These characters are incredibly charming and this world is so fun. Everything about this is just really well done; all of the actors were amazing, the writing is clever & easy to follow (& it's, of course, very fun that Ila is playing a detective :)!!) Looking forward to hearing more of this show!

@hello-are-you-there - Again, slight bias as I love a good apocalypse plot, but HAYT is a really fun radio show style podcast by a really lovely team. Aiden's moments of snark are great, Milo did a wonderful job bringing him to life amidst the bleakness of an end-of-the-world plot, & the inclusion of mythology is really well done!

@gobbpodblog - Magical zoo! Magical zoo!!! I love strange and unusual creatures and this team did an amazing job bringing them to life in this episode :D The animal ambiance at the start was really charming, and Prinxe & Caw were fantastic as Jake and Dr. Vermillian. Really excited to hear more!

Schrödinger's Pledge/@englewoodafterdark - As a college student I understand the implicit horrors of Greek life all too well (/lh.) The exploration of hazing practices and the normalization of them within those communities honestly is scary on its own, and the sound design really brings that to life in this pilot. Beyond excited to hear more Englewood After Dark later this year!

The Block - Fi was the only participant to make a solo show, and ended up with a spectacular example of what a one-person show can look like! I'm a little sad this podcast isn't continuing as they've introduced such an interesting concept and world here, but they did an outstanding job with the pilot.

Eart(h) FM - We listened to this one in the server the other night, & this show was definitely a lighthearted uptick from some of the other things we listened to, lol! It feels a bit silly to say a show about the end of the world is fun, but there is just so much hope and life this team managed to fit all in one episode, and the music is wonderful.

@spacespeckspod - I feel a bit awkward talking about my show, but I do want to say thank you to my lovely teammates who helped bring it to life! I appreciate all of you endlessly, and I'm really excited for the future of our little space show <3

If you want to check out these shows, they're all available on the Jam feed, & @aclickbaittitle has also started an (in-progress) Podchaser list of those with individual feeds!

Finally, an extra shoutout to the crowdfunder for Forged Bonds, @forgedbondspod which is still running & which you can check out here! Pine is such a wonderful member of the AD community, & (especially as a fellow classics enjoyer) I'm really looking forward to seeing what they do with this show. If you have the means, you should absolutely go support them & their amazing podcast!!

[shakingparadigm]

Now this is probably (definitely) the delusion talking BUT, what if Ivan isn’t dead (stay with me here) or is otherwise revived/healed/whatever by the aliens as a contingency plan for if Till manages to escape with the help of the rebels?

Because it’d be boring for the audience if Luka won by default, they spice things up by bringing out the other poster boy for an “all-star” final round face off?

AND if Ivan were to win against Luka, he would become the new face of the competition like Luka was, putting him in direct opposition to the rebels (and by extension, Till). I think that could be a really interesting dynamic.

Ohh... This is pretty cool, honestly!

Though, as much as I wanted it to happen, I don't think anyone will be joining the rebellion soon. I feel as if Hyuna and Mizi are locked in their current circumstances now and won't be able to properly save Till. They just ended up getting themselves trapped back into the game, and since we're nearing another Luka round, no doubt they're setting up a confrontation between Hyuna and Luka. It's the last round of ALIEN STAGE so it makes sense to gather the remaining cast together in one place, especially since Mizi and Hyuna mean so much to Till and Luka respectively.

It would probably send a bad message to the audience if Ivan was revived. If he could be brought back, why not any other pet before him? The aliens love death. They thrive off of seeing pets die, and even though Ivan was a fan favorite at the end of the day he's still just a pet. It doesn't help that he performed very unsavory and impulsive actions before his death as well, he literally had to be shot down before the scores were finalized.

On top of that, unfortunately Q and V aren't fond of bringing their characters back from the dead, at least not in an actual way. Death is an important aspect of Alien Stage and if Sua or Ivan were brought back it would lessen the impact of their sacrifice.

But Ivan and Luka being in direct opposition to the rebels? The potential for a more robotic reanimated Ivan, one that now lacked humanity (Ivan, when alive, saw himself as a monster. He insisted he was cruel and cold even when he was so much more than that. Now, in this new body, he's become everything he said he was. A self-fulfilling prophecy) is so incredible to think about. It really is interesting! I've always been a sucker for revival tropes where they come back wrong.

[astromaxi]

Yandere Orignal Character

sooo the poll ended and a lot of you wanted some yandere oc content so here is it!

Warnings: There isn't a lot of explicit Yandere content since this is an introduction post, obsessive mentions, stereotypical Yandere shit, I don't know how to write him as a Yandere lowkey, no scent kink mention, mention of kidnapping,

as per usual lmk if I miss any warnings and gammerly can only do so much to save me.

as well as send in some requests about Bu if you want to learn more about him :)

word count?!: 602

You always noticed him, I mean how can you not? His staggering height and muscular body frame were enough to draw anyone near to him, it was enough to make himself the center of attention. Especially with the curly messy green hair that was always in a giant bun. If it wasn’t his appearance that captivated the general public of your college, then it was his dynamic personality. He always made people feel at home, that someone he just met can feel like a lifelong buddy. It was so… off-putting, but no one seemed to mind. Not the students, or staff, not the professors, who are enamored by the handsome boy with vitiligo. Top of the class and always doing just enough where he can excel. 

Like everyone, you fell for the striking boy- felt it a strong word. More so you appreciate the eye candy whenever you cross paths with him, it’s sad really, you don’t even know his name

But, lucky he knows yours. He knows everything about you. 

Bu is enamored by you. Obsessed? Is just a simple word to describe the feeling, the way his body heats up as his heart beats just a little bit faster as Bu catches you staring at him in the library you both study at. The way he appears to be the sunny calm man as he presents himself, his always seemling closed eyes pinched into a never-ending smile. But inside his head, in his heart is a completely other story

But is a very relaxed person, he can come off as cocky, overconfident and jealous people would even say egotistical. Can you blame him? He never failed at anything in his life, never got less than 98% on a test or assignment, never was picked last for dodgeball, and was never able to get something he wanted. Everything was within his reach, Bu made sure of that. 

He is going to make sure that you are never out of reach, never unachievable. Because he wants- no, oh god no, he needs you and he will make sure he gets you. 

Don’t mistake him though, he isn't going to kidnap you and store you away in a cozy cage locked in a temperature control room with all the commodities you can ever imagine. He isn't completely senile, but he is going to make tabs on who you hang out with, who is a potential love interest, who made you upset, etc. Bu is going to insert himself into your life in the most extroverted way, and use his popularity and then the underlying crush you have on him to his complete and ultimate advantage. 

How can you know not to feel flustered and anxious when the moss hair boy you have been eyeing for months now, comes up and asks you about the upcoming math 111 test? You both well know that Bu can easily pass the test, but it's a good opportunity to see if you need any help, and oh boy are you not going to pass up this opportunity to spend one on one with the campus candy. Bu couldn't be more thrilled when you agree to meet up with him for coffee the next day to review,

And you couldn’t be more happy, that you not only managed to land a hangout with the monstrous sunny boy, but also his phone number and name. 

“I can’t wait, I will see you tomorrow Bu!” you gave Bu a bashful smile, before turning and walking towards the door, Bu waved you goodbye, as his smile reached his seemingly closed eyes. 

[abrahamvanhelsings]

for the ship asks: joplittle? i know i'm opening pandora's box with this

if someone already asked, then going for any other ned ship you might also like? choose freely my friend

AUGH my beloveds!! ill try not to make this a whole essay so ill point out a couple of things that i love about them at random

the way they interact with each other on screen has me obsessed. i wrote a post a bit ago about how we don't see them talk much together but they have a lot of potential anyway, and then @cinematicnomad made a great point about the fact that they DO interact but a lot it is nonverbal. honestly that opened my eyes to so much little things i hadn't noticed before. that they communicate through glances and gestures and that they understand each other, know each other well enough to have that kind of interaction... they may be background characters and we may not see the progression of their relationship much, but we can tell that it happens, and that they become close. you can tell that being in that precarious situation together, where crozier's alcoholism is affecting the entire expedition but it also has to be kept a secret, and they're the two people who know, and who are responsible for crozier/everything else, that really created a very tight bond between them.

speaking of tight friendships! we can tell that it happens bc edward, famously, is SO happy when jopson is made lieutenant. everyone at that table thinks it's deserved, and is happy for jopson, but edward is a beam of sunlight in that tent. genuinely can't stop smiling. it's so so lovely to me that he can't contain his own glee bc he's so glad and proud. get you a man who applauds your successes like edward little

there are so many ways their personalities fit together so well!! they're both extremely diligent in their duties, but it plays out differently in them both, and they both have different weaknesses. they're the type of people who are generally quiet and unobtrusive but steadfast and loyal, but where jopson tends to go sharp as a knife under pressure, edward always worries that he is doing the right thing (that's also bc for a large part of the expedition they have very different responsibilites and cares, but nevertheless). they're both guarded where it comes to showing their inner feelings, but it feels to me that jopson can provide a firmness, the assurance that edward needs to remain confident in who he is and what he does, whereas edward (once you've cracked him like an egg) has a warmth to him that can fold around jopson like a blanket, to let go of that tightly-controlled professionalism. each other's safety blankets, people who can mitigate the other's shortcomings, and provide space for their better qualities and their feelings to come to full bloom.

lower class/higher class dynamic is a weakness of mine. any fic that has thomas being a steward/valet to edward in any capacity with the victorian slow burn mutual pining/mutual 'he is to good for me' has me on my knees

[flamingfalcon3]

He’s Nina’s chosen protector ❤️

[otaku553]

The eventual kazuha and sanemi dynamic

[courtney-deserved-better]

telling myself i can't start another tdwt rewrite but dear god do i want to write one focusing on alejandro and courtney in this weird situationship thats a lot more nuanced than just alejandro manipulating courtney and her falling for it. like theyre best friends they dont trust each other theyre the same person they dont know anything about the other one theres a mutual attraction theyre pining for other people theyre codependent they dont care about each other theyre platonic soulmates like i just want to do a deep dive into how messy that relationship couldve been building off of their friendship that exists in my head except the line between romantic and platonic is so fucking blurred they have no idea what they are to the other person

[a-caterpillars-world]

❤ 2 ships passing in the night, reunited at the docks 💚

[husbando-of-yae-miko]

Of all the ships in Fontaine, only Clorinde x Wriothesley caught my attention…

[tennessoui]

FULLY agree with the daddy/clown thing. Every time I see an author put Anakin in the Top Only box because of "Vader energy" and BoTtoM aNaKIn is BoRInG I want to scream. The man is DESPERATE for a gentle Dom and yet people keep forcing him to fuck nasty when all he wants is a cuddle

(Fully on board with top anakin BTW but I believe in switch supremacy with a 60/40 in favor of bottom anakin)

i think my takeaway opinion of that post is really just what I put in the last tag I made aka something like “maybe neither of them is daddy dom maybe they’re just clowns helping put each other’s make up on”

i definitely go through phases of interest and preferences when it comes to this ship and I think if I didn’t I genuinely wouldn’t still be here after almost three years because of how my brain works with things I’m interested in and right now I’m just in a phase where I’m just. so tired. of the focus on d/s as a core and universal element of obikin. I think obi-wan in canon would be a shit gentle dom. dom in general. I think anakin would be too, and they’d both be shit subs. It’s gotten to the point where something with my brain right now is just going ❌❌ whenever I even see those words.

they can just fuck. they can fuck nasty and fuck up their relationship and even fuck up the galaxy and not have anyone be a gentle dom. or anyone be experiencing subdrop or be a needy sub or whatever. he can cuddle without it being a part of aftercare. people who are not in relationships that have a d/s dynamic cuddle too and i know that’s something we do understand but it’s not something I’ve seen a lot of lately and I genuinely miss it

[manynarrators]

Please allow me to be absolutely insane over Cecil and Kevin for a minute y’all. I finished relistening through Old Oak Doors a few days ago and have FEELINGS!

Please enjoy some ramblings!

Just imagine. He is the best parts of you, you are the worst parts of him. Once upon a time there would have been few differences between you. (But you did not know each other when that was still the case).

You ask him to join you in the “Night Vale AND Desert Bluffs Metropolitan Area”, while your managers refer to it by Desert Bluffs alone. Maybe it’s a last ditch effort to win, maybe it’s some part of you reaching through for that connection. Do you know which? Can you?

You understand each other on an innate level no one else ever can. You’re strangers. You have only ever spoken half a dozen times, and you’ve tried to kill each other in at least half of those. Neither of you can bring yourself to.

You build him a radio station to the best of your abilities.

He gives you hope, he lies to you, he is one of the last people you talk to when even your name ceases to mean anything to you. (The Desert said that he belonged on one side of the door and that you, who were once Voice in your own right, do not).

You are the same, and perfect opposites— until something broke. What happens then?

[fragmentedblade]

Also, Ruan Mei was the one who lent the Phase Flame to Ratio, wasn't she?

[purplelea]

I see people getting enthusiastic about the player polycule but will they still be there when I'll start talking about JoshBeat, BeatShiki and Joshiki? not so sure. a shame since those three ships are extremely interesting as well

[angorwhosebabyisthis]

[cws: non-detailed discussion of both fictional and irl SA/CSA/abuse dynamics, apologia for the previous, homophobia, fetishization of wlw, and anti rhetoric.]

-

having a lot of thoughts about the wider fandom's treatment of the various abuse dynamics present in sdmi--supposedly in the name of being anti-abuse--and how instead it's propagated deeply anti-survivor/abuse apologist sentiment and behavior through where they choose to apply that rhetoric, and where they choose to look the other way.

(first off, if you're someone who does not and has not done this, thank you from the bottom of my heart. second, this is not at all exhaustive of my feelings on the subject and there will probably be more posts about these dynamics and people's behavior toward them in future. as you can imagine by the length of this post that is saying something lmao)

one of the reasons i feel as strongly as i do about the way both canon and fandom have historically been about pericles, pericky, and shitting on anyone who likes them because it Normalizes Abuse(tm), is that their fans are pretty open and emphatic about the fact that it's Fucked Up. it's why we find it compelling. it is vanishingly rare that we don't.

meanwhile, velma is the UwU Cute Sassy Lesbian Icon whose relationship with shaggy was Cringy and Immature (and mutually so 🙃) at worst, when it directly mirrored such visceral aspects of my experience with CSA that i almost threw up rewatching the second episode.

and that's not even getting into how normalized it is for women to abuse men in a relationship, in broad fucking daylight in front of other people, and how men are supposed to Always Want It and it's an insult if they don't, and how the vast majority of CSA--which it overtly is in shaggy's case, he is implied not to be an adult yet--is perpetrated by other kids.

and it's also not getting into the fact that the ~cute lesbian relationship~ is almost certainly going to end up with the other queer girl in the show also being abused, because abusers are not Magically Cured by True Queer Love's Kiss. how it is incredibly difficult for survivors of abuse in a wlw relationship to be acknowledged or get support because then they'd be a Traitor, or people would rather maintain the feel-good fuzzy feelings wlw exist to give them, or they're closeted and it's not safe to let people know they're in a relationship with a woman. how queer relationships, especially between women, are fetishized as cute pure healthy fairytale romances and not dynamics involving real people who might harm each other or be harmed and need help.

and that's not even getting into the fact that mlm are seen as inherently predatory to an extent that the majority of other queer identities are not. how older queer men grooming boys is a classic homophobic stereotype used to justify violence toward them, up to and including lynchings, and how that is the abuse dynamic everyone in the show and fandom latched onto to revile as the Disgusting Evil Predatory One while giving everything else a pass. how mlm have a long history of forced institutionalization and psychiatric torture and abuse, and the Predatory Gay Man is subjected to decades of--you guessed it!--forced institutionalization and psychiatric torture and abuse, which is framed as what he deserved and where he belonged. how he's supposed to be unattractive (and the majority of the people who do this shit lean hard on that), while people are way more likely to give Charming Attractive Aesthetically Pleasing abusers a pass.

this is just..... normal, to the fandom. it's treated as completely normal. and i think that's a whole lot more fucking harmful than finding emotional catharsis in exploring an abusive dynamic that would not fly in broad daylight irl in a million years.

[maddy-ferguson]

i wish the internet had never learned the term prefrontal cortex because people use it to make 25 the new 18 which is so strange

[stuck-in-the-ghost-zone]

THATS HER BROTHER ?!?!?!?!?!?!