Mockingjay finale
We finally did it! We've finished the original Hunger Games trilogy, and boy do we have a lot to say about how little this series had to say. You would think there would be some big ideas in a story that ends with a horrific false flag atrocity, a member of the core love triangle making cluster munitions, and multiple megalomaniacs being betrayed, but... nope! Mostly it's about how sometimes you've just gotta do you. Or something.
We turn to the tantali...
2025-03-28 14:00:13 +0000 UTC
View Post
The last episode of our Mockingjay reread will be out soon, concluding SHHG! as a project (for now). What's next?
For those who would rather read announcements than listen to them, the pitch is this: a new seasonal show going back to the beginning of the Potter phenomenon. Not a reread show, and certainly not a TV recap podcast. Instead, we're putting together an exhaustive, granular, piece-by-piece history of the business and fandom surrounding Harry Potter, and how it shaped ...
2025-01-25 01:06:20 +0000 UTC
View Post
'Tis the season for strings group drama, guilty pleasure television, and Blackmilk quizzes! We convene for a holly jolly bonus episode where we discuss recent goings-on in the world of intermediate and beginner string performers and their solo careers, Buffy and The West Wing, prayer apps, and more.
2024-12-24 15:00:15 +0000 UTC
View Post
Mockingjay Act II
It's half sludge, half hunger this week! We check in with The Franchise's upcoming media and merchandising blitz, and then discuss the second act of Mockingjay, which... wow! That's a bit much! There's a lot of heavy stuff in this book that is not presented particularly well or interestingly, so make sure to check the content warnings below. Finally, we return to the world of 2010s fanfiction with a shocking third segment reveal.
(Content warning: Mo...
2024-11-23 02:23:27 +0000 UTC
View Post
Mockingjay Act 1
We're back to it! We discuss act one of Mockingjay, a book that dares to ask: is filming wrestling promos just as bad as running a dystopian fiefdom? The people cry out for a teenage superhero to jump out in front of a smoke machine and say character select screen phrases, and only Katniss can answer the call.
We discuss the loaded imagery and its relationship to the more heightened plot movements, whether or not we care about the love triangle anymore, ...
2024-10-30 22:00:08 +0000 UTC
View Post
We are back! Again, but also for real this time. Next week we will begin our series closing out the Hunger Games trilogy, but before then we have some catching up to do. We chat about life, Star Trek, and treats before checking in on the wailing and gnashing of teeth going on in the various wings of the Wizarding World fandom. Or is it the Harry Potter fandom again? No joke, the branding apparently changed like an hour before we recorded this--presumably to get ready for the HBO show that's g...
2024-10-18 14:00:14 +0000 UTC
View Post
It's been a while since we last checked in on The Franchise. This week, we batten down the hatches and prepare to dive into the sludge. Or is it mold? We chat about JK's ugly wallpaper and whether or not it's giving her brain spores, speculate about the upcoming HBO show and whether or not we'll even bother looking at it, take a refresher course on our favorite house elf, and mourn the loss of the 3D Pin Experience--and then we get sidetracked exploring the official store.
2024-08-16 14:00:12 +0000 UTC
View Post
The Truce at Bakura, chapters 15-21
We conclude our detour into the Star Wars expanded universe this week! We discuss the finale of Luke's adventures on Bakura, which involve cutting a bunch of dinosaurs' heads off, using his mind to kill a bunch of bugs eating his guts, and a lot of hanging around at an airport bar. We also chat about meeting celebrities, local Harry Potter conventions, and goof off in a little third segment game!
(We talk about Acolyte spoile...
2024-07-19 23:20:19 +0000 UTC
View Post
We convene to talk about Star Wars, gory movies, and the soundtrack to the official Star Trek cruise.
(Spoiler warning for all of Andor and up to episode 5 of The Acolyte--this was recorded before 6 which was a cool ep btw--and a content warning for some of our movie gore discussion; if you don't fancy hearing about a specific pretty upsetting Classic Cinema Shot skip ahead a couple minutes after I mention 'Un Chien Andalou'.)
2024-07-03 15:54:47 +0000 UTC
View Post
The Truce at Bakura, chapters 8-14
After a few weeks of unprecedented circumstances, we're back to continue examining The Truce at Bakura. This novel is asking some fascinating questions, like: how did they put bugs in Luke Skywalker? Will Luke Skywalker get some with this Imperial senator? Will the bugs inside of him make that awkward?
2024-06-14 14:00:12 +0000 UTC
View Post
We're visiting Bakura, taking a vacation away from the Content District, and taking the opportunity to check in on our old friends in the Money Fandom! We chat about bank trips, small business podcasts, fandom investment, spaghetti, and more.
2024-05-03 14:00:08 +0000 UTC
View Post
The Truce at Bakura chapters 1-7
We're back! Work has been kicking both of our asses lately, but we've finally convened to discuss the first third of the fascinating Star Wars Legends novel 'The Truth at Bakura'--as a little break between Hunger Games novels.
Have you ever wondered what happened after Return of the Jedi? Like, maybe fifteen minutes after the movie ends? Well, it turns out some dinosaurs are putting guys' brains in droids and only Luke Skywalker and ...
2024-04-26 14:00:14 +0000 UTC
View Post
This week we convene to enjoy a big, warm bowl of classic Shriekcast third segment style content as we check in with Quora questions about Catching Fire! Epic length essays about whether or not an INTJ could win a Hunger Game, extremely dodgy political opinions, and excellence in the field of run-on-sentence construction abound. And that's not all; we've also got exciting strings updates, opinions on What's Going On With Planes, kitchen gadget nightmare scenarios, and more!
2024-03-22 14:00:11 +0000 UTC
View Post
We convene in the District to chat about TVs being too dim, strings drama (or lack thereof), and the recently announced Twilight animated series. Then we put together a new Project: can we get the official Neopets account to retweet Kraalnor, the Soultaker?
2024-03-15 20:55:13 +0000 UTC
View Post
Catching Fire chapters 24-27
It's been a busy couple of weeks for both of us (working; moving) but that didn't stop us from finishing the last four chapters of Catching Fire! And boy, if we thought we were in a rush, nothing compares to this book's bizarre finale. People often offer the criticism that certain stories "just stop," but the last few moments of this novel are on their own level. We discuss the breakneck final action sequence and practically bullet-pointed ...
2024-03-04 15:00:15 +0000 UTC
View Post
Catching Fire chapters 22 & 23
TWO giant reveals that we avoided having spoiled! Can you believe it!? This one is particularly funny, given our hobby trajectories of late. This awesome new arena mechanic is revealed alongside an exciting action sequence, some ridiculous (complimentary) side characters joining Katniss's party, some ridiculous (derogatory) Peeta moments, and some small worldbuilding revelations that send us reeling. Plus! More Strings Drama--and a step back i...
2024-02-16 15:00:17 +0000 UTC
View Post
Catching Fire chapters 20-21
Remember how we had somehow remained completely unaware of the werewolves in the first Hunger Games book? Somehow, by some beautiful miracle, we remained equally, blissfully unaware of another animal threat in this series. Not much happens in these action-packed chapters outside, but boy does a lot happen. There are chapters that feel like novels, as they say...
Anyway, aside from the fight scene involving ...
2024-02-02 15:00:12 +0000 UTC
View Post
The ice storm has been keeping Liz busy in her action news van, but we managed to squeeze a bonus episode in between all the weather-related extra work! We chat about Star Wars: The Old Republic and other old MMOs, putting Weezer songs in Oblivion, and more--plus, we take a Blackmilk quiz about Hell for good measure!
2024-01-27 17:00:10 +0000 UTC
View Post
Catching Fire chapters 18-19
We are so back! We kick off 2024 with a rowdy return to podcasting about work sucking, holidays sucking, and Peeta sucking. We have some exciting news on that front this week however, although neither of us is convinced it really happened. Still, even if things are feeling a bit predictable, we certainly can't accuse these chapters of being boring! Waterworld antics, bonkers lies, trident headshots--there's a lot of wild stuff packed in here as we f...
2024-01-13 17:00:07 +0000 UTC
View Post
Catching Fire chapters 16-17
We're still not at the Hunger Game. It sure seems like we're running out of book, but instead of duking it out in the arena our heroes are still meeting their foes and/or potential allies. Are Katniss and Peeta building a heist team, or are they just going to fight all these guys? We've got lots to discuss about this and more, but first we also have some Neopets updates, strings drama, and dental work to discuss!
(If you're not a fan of de...
2023-12-15 15:00:12 +0000 UTC
View Post
We were too busy to get a main episode done this week, but we did get together to record a new installment of our Alan Wake LP! On this week's adventure we get spooked by a weird guy in a cabin, run around in the woods a lot, and attempt to set the world record for a Flareless Run.
2023-12-11 15:00:09 +0000 UTC
View Post
It's been a while since our last let's play!
The last time we did this, we were playing a bad shooter based on The Deathly Hallows Pt. 1. This time, we're playing a bad shooter that's much more lovable--Alan Wake, the 2010 action-horror game from Remedy. It stars a beleaguered airport paperback writer, which feels like a perfect fit in our post-Potter mass market novel era.
In this first video, we get through the intro and the first "episode" of the game. Liz has to learn not one ...
2023-12-04 16:00:12 +0000 UTC
View Post
Baldur's Gate! Bad Disney movies! Super Mario RPG! We've got lots to talk about on this bonus episode--and that's before our brainstorming session about what to add to our bonus content roster. We also chat about broader book choice ideas for the main show, and update the show description! (which I will set live soon after the episode)
2023-12-01 15:00:15 +0000 UTC
View Post
Part one of Liz Plays Super Mario RPG!
2023-11-28 15:00:06 +0000 UTC
View Post
Catching Fire chapters 14-15
Life threw Liz some work-related lemons this past week, but we're here and discussing how best to turn them into bonus lemonade! We chat about future plans for discussing future plans, give an update on what's going on in strings world, and get attacked by Earl--and that's all before we get into our crazy chapters! We learn all about sugar, Hunger Games hacks, and Dr. Seuss ass map design. There's also some juicy critical stuff to discuss re: charac...
2023-11-17 15:00:10 +0000 UTC
View Post
Catching Fire chapters 12 & 13
We have a lot to catch up on this week! Neopets news, string performances, (not so) scary films... plus, we've got a pair of chapters that propel Catching Fire forward into exciting territory. Hopefully? There's going to be another Hunger Game in these books, it turns out. We speculate on how exactly that might shake out, what would make it more interesting than the first outing, and much more.
Side note: I recommend Alan Wake in the...
2023-11-04 16:00:06 +0000 UTC
View Post
On this very scary episode, we return to the world of Imagines.
2023-10-28 14:00:07 +0000 UTC
View Post
Catching Fire chapters 10-11
We're back! Load roadworks couldn't keep us away from talking about these chapters, that feature some absolutely massive twists--political and technical. Did you know that there are solar-powered perpetual energy generating guns in Panem? Neither did we! We discuss those strange new worldbuilding additions, and attempt to sus out this book's relationship is to America's political discourse in the 2000s. Is this about the lead-up to the invasion of I...
2023-10-19 14:00:07 +0000 UTC
View Post
Catching Fire chapters 7-9
We start this week with another music game, with another unexpected twist! Plus, an update on all things strings and Neopets. Then we've got three exciting chapters to cover as the rebellion in District 12 starts heating up--or maybe doesn't, depending on who last spoke to Katniss. We chat about some of the great character development, the slightly silly worldbuilding, and try to figure out just where all this is going... and if that's another Hunger ...
2023-10-07 14:00:05 +0000 UTC
View Post
Things were a bit too hectic to record a full episode this week, but we managed to convene to discuss Baldur's Gate 3 (mild spoilers but no specifics) as well as Liz's impressions after reading The House in Fata Morgana! We also talk about calling EA on the phone, un-romanceable warriors, and much more.
(The Fata Morgana discussion does contain some more specific spoilers--if you want to skip that and read it for yourself or if the story's rather large list of content warnings doesn...
2023-09-30 05:11:29 +0000 UTC
View Post
