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Rob Filter posted:Since my post was too subtle, ill be explicit: I'm not sure that's true. If you take a random sample of ten people, you'd expect one or two of them to be queer, so it does stand out if it's over half the cast. Of course, people don't group together randomly, and queer people often have queer friends, likely because they feel safer in numbers. I think the real reason is "because we can." TV shows have millions of dollars invested in them, so investors will be shy about trying anything that might alienate people. Podcasts are cheap to make, so they can take more risks. It doesn't necessarily have to match reality. Across the four Night Vale Presents podcasts, I think Steve and Abby are the only opposite-sex couple, and even then there's speculation that Abby is a trans-woman (Cecil apparently had a brother as a child, but now has a sister and doesn't remember his brother). It is jarring and somewhat unrealistic for almost everyone to be queer, but I'm sure that was intentional. I think the idea was to say "hey, straight people, now you know how gay people feel when everyone in the shows they watch is straight!" Chairman Capone posted:I laughed really hard in the second season of Ars Paradoxica when Sally made a huge point of proclaiming how she's asexual and then trying to explain that to someone from the 1940s. As if she wasn't already an amalgamation of enough annoying nerd tropes. Len posted:Does anyone else notice how they just shoehorn them in when it doesn't really matter as well? Like does Sallys sexual preference matter to the story in any way? No? So why are we bringing it up? I think that one made perfect sense in context. One of the other characters (Esther, I think? There are way too many characters in that show and I can't keep them all straight) accidentally outed herself to Sally as a lesbian. She was desperately afraid Sally would tell other people, so Sally was trying to reassure her, essentially saying "It's okay, your secret's safe with me. I'm not exactly straight, either." Tweet Me Balls posted:Seriously though the gay romance wasn't a big deal at all and actually mapped pretty well onto my own experiences as a young gay man. A little confusing, but mostly awkward for the usual teen reasons. Yeah, I thought Caleb and Adam were adorable, and what awkwardness existed was because a: they were teenagers, and b: because Caleb had never been in a relationship with another boy. New Leaf posted:Now take Mark. Apparently Mark is bi. This comes up exactly one time - when Sam (his female love interest) is spouting off her fears about what Damien may have done to Mark (or forced Mark to do) with his power of suggestion. The line is something like this - but I'm paraphrasing quite a bit - "Do you think Damien might have forced Mark to do anything? I mean, I know Mark is bi..." Why is that relevant to the story at this point? It's lazy as hell. First off, Damien has never made any mention of any attraction to men - let alone Mark. What does Mark's sexuality have to do with him being kidnapped? Yeah, that one confused me. They were hinting that Mark might have been raped- what does him being bi have to do with it? A lot of people had already guessed it, anyway. Mark mentioned the male guard at the AM that he was friends with and said something like "in other circumstances, maybe..." and Lauren had already confirmed in on Tumblr. I'm sure it made sense in her mind, but it seemed to me like she just really wanted it to be canon and forced it in there. New Leaf posted:Chloe - you only find out about her being asexual when Frank is talking about how people at the art studio think he's her boyfriend, but that's impossible because she's asexual. But prior to this, she'd talked about being in multiple relationships, but after her sexuality (or lack there of) was established, she's found at least 3 more times to bring it up in unrelated conversations, just to drive the point home. I can only remember her mentioning being ace once. It was an annoying conversation, but more because Chloe as a character can be kind of annoying rather than unrealistic writing. Personally, I love the fact that, contrary to stereotype, it's the sunny, outgoing Chloe who's asexual while the shy, reserved Sam is crushing on a boy. Also, Sam's never even kissed anyone, but not because of a lack of interest- it's about her overcoming crippling agoraphobia that's related to her unpredictable powers and the trauma of her parents' death. I actually asked Lauren about that conversation with Frank, and she gave a pretty long response that I'll excerpt here. Regardless of whether you think it worked as dialogue, it at least shows that she's putting a lot of thought into it. Lauren Shippen posted:This whole exchange is basically Frank being like “listen, doc, I know Chloe is ace and I would never try anything anyway because I’m not looking to have sex with anyone either so we’re square” and Dr. Bright saying “It hadn’t even crossed my mind that you staying in her room would mean sex would be on the table because sex is never on the table with Chloe”. Despite this, people still ask for more representation. Someone recently asked why there are no queer females on the show (I guess Chloe doesn't count?). Also trans people. Agent Green mentions that Joan has a shape-shifter as a patient, the same person Caleb sees leave her office with a different hair color. Lauren* has said that that, in her mind, that's a trans person who is trying to use their power to change their physical presentation. It hasn't been said on the show because that character doesn't currently fit into the larger story, but maybe someday they will. But the priority is writing a good story and representation is just one part of that. It's a shame if it doesn't work for everyone, but it's not just an attempt to pander to queer people. *I hope it's not weird that I keep referring to her by first name, but she's so friendly with fans that it's easy to be informal. doctorfrog posted:[*]The writers/performers are, know of someone, or are interested in those kinds of characters and just feel like integrating them and their sexuality into the story Also this. Lauren said a lot of the people on the show are some variety of queer, though she won't say which for privacy reasons. She herself is sort of like Caleb, I think, in that it's a confusing mess and she's not sure what label to use, she just likes who she likes. Jurgan fucked around with this message at 16:49 on Apr 10, 2017 |
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Apr 10, 2017 16:44
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Like I said earlier, I think I'm the only one who likes S2 of Archive 81 better than S1. Found footage stories about gormless men discovering conspiracies are a dime a dozen, but a story about exploring an unknown continent full of eldritch horrors is exciting. My only complaint is that I hate the one character who is basically a poor imitation of Alec Baldwin from Glengarry Glen Ross (Lydia? Cynthia?). One of the other characters even calls that out, but it doesn't change the fact that it's a bad character. She says "I don't like wasting time," but is constantly interrupting people to insult them.
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Apr 22, 2017 17:50
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Len posted:Pretty sure we can count the number of straight characters on one hand now. This wasn't her first appearance. She was featured in an earlier episode having a discussion with Agent Green. Also, we know that she's nervous about how to relate to other people and is worried about inadvertently invading their privacy. Saying all there is to her is sexuality and power is reductive and insulting. Yeah, it's odd how hardly any of the characters are straight (though Joan, Owen, and Sam all seem to qualify), but it's not like there's nothing to her but a box on a checklist. It seems like when a queer character is introduced, people immediately respond with "pandering! Just make good characters and stop worrying about if they're gay!" It's kind of like when a white guy gets cast to play a minority role in a big budget movie and people defend it by saying "we just want the best actors and didn't think about race." Jurgan fucked around with this message at 02:00 on Apr 28, 2017 |
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Apr 28, 2017 01:11
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New Leaf posted:Insulting to who, exactly? The fictional character? The author. Len posted:She has trouble relating to people like Sam? Or worrying about invading privacy like Chloe? That's fair, I guess. We really only got a quick vignette in between advancement of other characters, though go back to episode 30 and you'll hear more about her. For instance, she comes from a whole family of atypicals. That's a new dynamic, except maybe for Chloe and her mother. Anyway, it just annoys me when people assume the only reason she was brought in was to say "look, we have a lesbian now!" Jurgan fucked around with this message at 07:09 on Apr 28, 2017 |
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Apr 28, 2017 07:03
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New Leaf posted:Geoff isn't Geoff, he's actually Karl - the brother who was obsessed with Tanis and conspiracies and number stations. (Name spellings are from the Tanis wiki) Didn't season one end the same way? I distinctly remember a shocking revelation that someone (Veronica?) and someone else were really the same person. It landed with a resounding "meh" because I can't keep straight who most of the characters are.
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May 4, 2017 06:34
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I'm still on about episode 19 of Magnus, so it's mostly still episodic. I think one or two episodes ago was a reference to the Scandinavian guy's library, and as far as I know that was the first callback.
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May 5, 2017 04:10
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Drunk Tomato posted:There are callbacks all over the place. The early episodes sometimes get called back in recent ones. I think honestly it doesn't matter too much if you get them or not, since the episodic stories are where the fun is at. Speaking of Lovecraft, there was a pretty funny slam on him in the latest Archive 81.
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May 5, 2017 07:01
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Len posted:I've got that on back burner while I get through It was it the standard "he was a racist! Yikes, tough crowd... He didn't just say "hah, racist!" He also joked about how Lovecraft used so many big words that it sounded like he probably made a lot of them up, and his habit of "describing things as indescribable." Mostly I just like when allusions are left unexplained; it makes me wonder what else I missed. Also, "A New Winter" is back. I maintain that its biggest weakness is that it's a podcast. The story is pretty good, but the narrator doesn't even try to distinguish the voices, so I never know who's talking. I also forget some of the details of the story and characters. And every chapter ends the same way, with the music getting really loud and then cutting out just before he says something intended to shock (Magnus Archives does this sometimes, but a bit more subtle). I think it would work better in written form. After all, it is basically a spoken novel, and the episodes are more like chapters. Alice Isn't Dead is similar, but Disparition's producing/music and Jasika's acting really elevate it. Jurgan fucked around with this message at 07:26 on May 7, 2017 |
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May 5, 2017 08:55
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New Leaf posted:Episodes like today's are what keeps me listening to The Bright Sessions. That was really, really good! It was, and I hope it finally kills off all the "Damien is a poor woobie who just needs a hug!" poo poo. I knew Damien was an asshat, but even I didn't expect him to go so far as threatening to make Sam kill herself. drat, that was dark. Also, loved the interaction between Wadsworth and Damien. That park must be enormous to contain both their egos. In addition, after relistening to the previous episode, I agree there's not much to Rose, at least not yet. I'm sure Lauren has lots of notes about her and is seeding future stories, but "how do I tell my crush about my powers?" is literally Caleb's arc from season 1 and early 2. I think I was just annoyed that, had her crush been a man, people would have just ignored her and talked about the rest of the story. She really was only about a quarter of the episode. But because she was a lesbian, it became a whole "thing" for us to argue about.
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May 10, 2017 18:46
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Yes, Wooden Overcoats is great if you like dry British humor along the lines of Fawlty Towers. Most comedy podcasts are improv, but this one is tightly scripted and has a lot of small moments that you have to listen closely to catch. Limetown is very good while it lasts, but it's only six episodes and ends on a cliffhanger that may never be resolved.
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May 11, 2017 15:07
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Ornamented Death posted:The followup was that they got a deal for a TV show and that actually pays real money so it's their focus. Cool, but is that ever coming out? I've heard rumors about this show for over a year, but nothing solid.
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May 12, 2017 15:38
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Len posted:I'm really unsure how I feel about it. I like how it went a different way from just audio found footage since that seems to be common with this format but they didn't remove that entirely and the tapes he listens to are the weakest parts imo That I agree with. I like the story and characters in season 2, but it seems like they feel compelled to have him listen to a tape every episode. So, what the gently caress even is A New Winter at this point? The first season was a fun small town horror story, but it's been drifting since season two started, and the last episode is less Twin Peaks than Southland Tales. Am I understanding right that the narrator is a demon and there's an army of time-displaced dopplegangers of himself? I'm just totally lost. Part of it might be that I drift out of focus at times. The narrator's voice would be good for meditation, but he's so flat and dreamy that I zone out easily. I continue to think it would be better as a novel, but then he'd have to have it all worked out in advance, and I think it's clear that he's just making it up as he goes. The guy does have a novel he's plugging, so maybe that would be worth a look.
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May 17, 2017 05:11
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cool kids inc. posted:Am I a crazy person or are we still waiting on the last season of Wolf359? Every season before has started on Valentine's Day and ended on Christmas. At the end of last season, though, Gabriel Urbina announced (maybe it was only to patrons) that the final season was so big that they wanted extra time to get it ready.
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May 20, 2017 02:41
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Hughlander posted:Can't really spoil anything since it's either right there already or just listener conjecture... Theres a good chance Caleb straight up killed Damien in this one. I doubt it, because I think there are more stories to tell with him alive, but it's hard to imagine anyone being able to pull Caleb off him at that point.
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May 24, 2017 18:51
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Mabel sounds cool, but I'm not starting any new fiction podcasts until I catch up with Magnus. Also, with the real world being set on fire, I've been listening to a lot of political podcasts lately, so that's cutting into my time.Len posted:Frank was a great part of the episode Poor, poor Caleb. He deserves a medal for nearly killing Damien to save Adam, but he hates himself so much for losing control that I want to give him a hug instead. And his conversation with Adam about cutting was intense, and very believable. Also, Chloe got hit with a lamp, not a pipe. 
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Jun 13, 2017 00:01
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New Leaf posted:..a feature length musical podcast? What the gently caress does that mean? "Feature-length" means roughly two hours long. "Musical" means characters will occasionally break into song. It seems self-explanatory to me. Jurgan fucked around with this message at 01:41 on Jun 17, 2017 |
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Jun 17, 2017 01:38
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Sinteres posted:It means they crawled up their own asses. Why are people so angry that, after having a success, creators try something different? Would we rather they go the PNWS route and pump out the same tedious stories forever?
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Jun 17, 2017 04:18
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SamuraiFoochs posted:Considering they crawled so thoroughly up their own asses after one season, people have every right to be mad. What exactly are people mad about? What does "crawled up their own asses" even mean? I really don't get it. People in this thread have been going on for over a year about how Limetown is the greatest piece of audio fiction since Orson Welles. Personally, I was annoyed that they left it on a cliffhanger and didn't give any indication of what they had planned. Now we finally hear that it's coming back, and everyone is mad because they're also making another show at the same time? Is the complaint that they should just focus on Limetown and get it done first before starting something new? Maybe, but they can do more than one thing at once. The Night Vale people have four podcasts running simultaneously. Is the complaint that they're somehow arrogant for thinking all their fans will follow them wherever they go? I didn't get that impression. Listen or don't, no one's forcing you, but I would think that if you think the Limetown creators are so talented, you'd be excited to see what else they have in mind. Instead it's "no, stay in your own lane and keep doing what you were already doing." Is the problem that they only made six episodes and then think they can do anything based on that? I guess that's fair, except that you (and by "you" I mean practically everyone who posts here) have been singing their praises non-stop for over a year. Besides, if they have the opportunity to make new things they're passionate about, why not give it a try? I simply do not understand why people are bothered that talented creators are broadening their focus. Bart Simpson posted:What could they possibly owe you? They've given you hours of entertainment for nothing- if anything, you owe them! Jurgan fucked around with this message at 04:39 on Jun 18, 2017 |
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Jun 18, 2017 04:37
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Turtlicious posted:It's tummy feels mostly, I liked Limetown a lot gave them money (when they were begging for it,) and got nothing in return afterwards. I'm happy I helped them, but I was expecting season 2 in a couple of years, I'd much rather they did what Fink did where they immediately branched out and made a media empire. Instead they are writing a book (which will be for sale,) a TV show (Which you'll need to pay for,) and then there doing a "Full Feature Length Musical Podcast" which is like... 1 episode of Edict Zero? I just donate to a lot of different patreons, I get a lot for my money, and I felt kind of screwed by Limetown (which doesn't take donations anymore btw.) Yeah, that makes sense. Obviously my Bart Simpson quote doesn't apply if you gave them money. Still, I don't understand what you mean by "I was expecting season 2 in a couple of years." It's been one and a half years since the last episode, so aren't they on track for what you were expecting? SamuraiFoochs posted:This is the exact thing I'm talking about. It sucks. It's good for the creators and I'm happy for them but they're going about it in a lovely, tone deaf way. Honestly, I'd given up expecting season two. When I heard about the TV show, I assumed it was replacing the podcast. I was thinking of the six episodes as sort of a "proof-of-concept" for the higher budget television series. I'm not sure we need both a podcast and a TV show about the same thing. Or is the TV show going to be a different story in the same universe? It's not really clear at this point. Maybe I'm not angry about this because I was never as glued to Limetown as a lot of other people were. You're right in that it was only six episodes, and it's hard to rest on that for too long. They're basically at the status of a one-hit wonder. Rusty Quill, Gabriel Urbina, Mischa Stanton, or even (for all their faults) Minnow Beats Whale have put out many times more material than the Limetown people did. Whether you like them or not, they're trying to move forward and expand the genre. Secrets, Crimes, and Audiotape already made a feature-length musical podcast parodying Serial. The memories of a pretty good mini-series from a couple years ago start to fade compared to all the new material that has been created since. So I guess, for me, I'm not angry at the situation and more just rolling my eyes at them acting like they're still super-relevant to the podcasting community. But at least we finally get a season two; I'm just not as pumped for it as I would have been a year ago. By the way, has anyone listened to The Far Meridian? Mischa Stanton is starting to become a powerhouse producer. I'm enjoying it so far- it's sort of a light sci-fi/fantasy story about a girl with crippling agoraphobia who gets forced to visit a new location every day. She does a lot of talking to herself, and I think she really sells the character. Paul Zuvella posted:This is why you don't donate to patreons or kickstarters or indiegogos or anything. I'm happy to donate to Bright Sessions and Wolf 359, but they both only charge me whenever a new episode comes out.
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Jun 19, 2017 23:52
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Kraps posted:Enjoy yourselves! Yeah, I didn't bother with the app, I just listened on my browser. It's pretty good, though.
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Jun 30, 2017 17:12
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Turtlicious posted:The OP hasn't posted in this thread since 2016, it's been a couple of years, we may need a new thread. Fully agreed. Can anyone start a new thread? Is there some rule about it? I'd be willing to kick it off with an effort-post describing all the major series I listen to, and edit in other people's write-ups for other series.
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Jul 7, 2017 01:52
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Well, then, I went ahead and did it. The OP is still under construction, but I wanted to get it started before I lost focus. https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3826110&pagenumber=1#lastpost
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Jul 7, 2017 04:54
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