Stranger Than (fan)Fiction Podcast

Welcome to the second to last episode of season 2!!! Be sure to join in for our Season 2 Finale Livestream on Friday, June 25th, streaming on Facebook and Twitch at 7:00pm EST! 219 opens with the boys discussing their respective roles in the zombie apocalypse before diving headlong into the Weekly Prompt. Reddit user NotThatJaredBlack writes: A woman has been dating guy after guy, but it never seems to work out. She’s unaware that she’s actually been dating the same guy over and over; a shapeshifter who’s fallen for her, and is certain he’s going to get it right this time. What follows suit is the crafting of “The J Word”, an incredibly ambitious, star-studded cast of A-list celebrities that unite in an epic rom-com/Lovecraftian adventure. Hearkening back to our favorite childhood programming, we touch on a dangerous new interpretation of Barney, the Friendly Dinosaur. Perfectly Purple [https://archiveofourown.org/works/950695] by author Flexor [https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flexor/pseuds/Flexor] crafts a much more sinister truth about our old pal, Barney, as we read a story that takes us into what happens when a perfectly innocent childhood show is actually built around a bloodthirsty, prehistoric bioweapon…

218 opens with alien-relations, Rhys mimicking insects, and ladybug stories before launching into the Weekly Prompt. Reddit user colorfulmarzipan [https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/nkfsys/wp_wanted_malefemale_roommate_to_room_with_three/] offers us: WANTED: MALE/FEMALE ROOMMATE TO ROOM WITH THREE OTHERS - $190 PER MONTH. We are three lovely HUMANS currently renting out Acre house, just off campus. We’re walking distance from college, have WIFI and air conditioning. 4 rooms. (Just to clarify, we are definitely human). The subsequent storycrafting, coupled with yet another AI Generated Fanfic™, takes us into the unexpected juggalo territory of The Insane Clown Posse, Facebook (aka, “The Book”), and the true meaning of the acronym “WiFi”. Nostalgia brings us to the era of Sunday morning comics as inspiration for today’s fanfiction! We read The Lengthy Dimly Lit Coffee Break of the Psyche [https://archiveofourown.org/works/31216] by author dotfic [https://archiveofourown.org/users/dotfic/pseuds/dotfic], which takes a very poignant look into the world of Calvin and Hobbes. Post-read, we move into a more serious discussion about the loss of childhood— specifically, the place of whimsical creativity in a world ruled by pragmatism and practicality, and what it truly means to “hold on to your Hobbes.”

The boys open 217 with anecdotes relating to the self-inflicted torture of foods, reflecting on Hot Ones™ hot sauce (The Last Dab), vegan mayonnaise, and gluten intolerant-intolerance. Continuing the condiment conversation, we move into Weekly Prompt, coming to us from the official Reddit account of Kraft Mayonnaise [https://www.reddit.com/user/RealKraftMayo/comments/mq8kss/please_explain_how_you_eat_a_sandwich_with_no/]: Please explain how you eat a sandwich with no mayo. DRY. How could you possibly take a bite of bread, meat and cheese with nothing in between? Does it just crumble in your mouth like wood shavings? When you speak, does dry sandwich dust fly from your mouth? Make your case. Best responses get gold. A subsequent AI Generated Fanfic™ kicks off an absolutely ridiculous storyline involving a father, a son, and the spirit of Buffalo, New York. We have our first ever anonymous author for today’s fanfiction. The concept? Dark Winnie the Pooh. The result? The Terrible Thing About Tiggers [https://archiveofourown.org/works/968915/chapters/1902631], a story in which Christopher Robin wishes that Tigger was a real tiger. Needless to say, when Tigger morphs into a fully grown Bengal tiger, things go…well…poorly, to say the least.

Animal talks dominate episode 216, opening with the boys’ respective favorite animals, touching on bat varieties, giraffe facts, the life cycle of jellyfish, bee colonies, and porcupines— aka, nature’s Switzerland. Weekly Prompt comes to us from Reddit user Jhustice [https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/mzo8ex/wp_youre_not_really_smart_you_just_have_a_power/]: You're not really smart. You just have a power that pauses time each time someone asks you a question and time is unpaused only when you have the correct answer. One day your child asks you, "What is the meaning of life?". After kicking off the discussion with the return of our AI Generated Fanfic™, the boys spiral into a surprisingly somber and profound tale about an unsuspecting trio’s time-stopping journey. Today’s fanfiction has us taking back to the simpler days of nursery rhymes…and then twisting that simplicity with dense scientific vernacular. Taking inspiration from the children’s poem Little Bunny Foo Foo [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Bunny_Foo_Foo], author Random_Nexus [https://archiveofourown.org/users/Random_Nexus/pseuds/Random_Nexus] graces us with Diminutive Oryctolagus Cuniculus [https://archiveofourown.org/works/586269], which explores the same plot of the mischievous little bunny through the lens of someone likely working on their PHD in biological etymology.

We open episode 15 by sharing our post-COVID rehabilitation fantasies, ranging from Yoga classes, putting our mouths on strange objects, water fountains, and drunken escapades. The Weekly Prompt comes to us from Reddit user KryptCeeper [https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/mwmcp7/wpyou_are_a_sleeper_agent_your_trigger_word_bro/]: You are a sleeper agent, your trigger word... "Bro". Whenever you hear the word, whatever command follows you must obey. This hasn't been an issue for most of your life, but yesterday... you met Todd. A surfer on vacation from California. We discuss the hilarious ramifications of this literal bro code, and the inevitable battle for the sleeper agent’s control between Todd and Ddot, his evil counterpart who wants to use the bro code for nefarious purposes. We take to the world of high fashion with an Asgardian twist in today’s fanfiction. Loki Runway [https://archiveofourown.org/works/577749] by author Xparrot [https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xparrot/pseuds/Xparrot]takes a look at the Marvel Universe’s beloved intergalactic fugitive/ Trickster god, Loki, as he applies his flexible style and magical prowess as a contestant on Project Runway. Is it a fair competition? Probably not. But who in this competition has the gall to speak out against him? Listen in to find out!