Cursed Child stage play.
We're in the big apple, baby! We took a plane/time machine into the past to see a performance of the Cursed Child in New York with the original London cast. We... had a surprising time! We dig into all of our detailed thoughts: what met our expectations, what surprised us, and what let us down. This 8th story has been a real roller coaster for us, and you might be...
2022-03-07 15:01:04 +0000 UTC View Post
Cursed Child reading wrap-up episode!
With our reading complete, we take some time to discuss our overall thoughts on the play before we embark on our Very Real journey to See It In Real Life! What worked? What didn't? What did other reviewers think at the time? We check in with a mix of coverage from our rogue's gallery, and then another article illuminating some of our questions about w...
2022-02-28 15:01:03 +0000 UTC View Post
Cursed Child act IV!
This act was a bit faster-paced than the rest, so we ended up covering it all in one long go. The boys are back in time and there seems to be no other special time turners... what could possibly get our heroes out of this jam?! The answer might surprise you. We've got Blanket Plans, Smoke Rings, Demiguise Lore (!), Voldemort Styles, and much, much, MUCH more in this e...
2022-02-21 15:01:03 +0000 UTC View Post
Act 3 part two!
The second half of the act 3 roller coaster is aimed directly at our asses. We have a Cool Villain Reveal, flying, a comedy Cedric performance (that's the guess, at least) and a whole host of other moments so over the top it's hard not to be delighted. We discuss how strange this all feels coming off of Deathly Hallows, how different Thorne's work feels from JKR's, and how...
2022-02-14 15:00:09 +0000 UTC View Post
Cursed Child Part Two Part One (Act 3)
Wowza! This act is A Lot, but we are not immune to its charms. In the world of Evil Hogwarts, only the campiest survive... and even then some of them don't! We chat about the refreshing return to the tongue-in-cheek lower stakes presentation of the early novels that this play provides, as well as the few odd moments where it fumbles by reminding us t...
2022-02-07 15:01:04 +0000 UTC View Post
The (bonus) Shack is back! We discuss backwards compatible games we've been playing, books we've read recently that aren't for children, and take a Blackmilk quiz that tests our cult ritual social skills. Plus: A return to Goodreads, where we read one star reviews of some unnamed Classics and try to guess what they are!
2022-01-31 15:01:04 +0000 UTC View Post
Cursed Child Part One Act Two Part Two...?
The final segment of the first part of the play--really, the first play--has some rocky moments, but it ends in such an incredible fashion it more than makes up for it. It's quite a roller coaster either way--a weird ghost, a lot of Bagman, and a fight scene written just for the Drarryheads in the audience. Plus: A third segment so unbelievably r...
2022-01-31 15:00:08 +0000 UTC View Post
Cursed Child Part One Act Two Part One (I think I got that right...)
We're back with more play talk! This week at the theatre, we read a segment of the stage show that has some high highs and low lows. The weird Dark Dursleys scene? Low. Seeing Ludo Bagman again? High. The play's treatment of Padma? Very low. The mere concept of something called "Voldemort Day?" High. All this and much mo...
2022-01-24 15:01:02 +0000 UTC View Post
Part two of part one of act one... the next bit of the play. The first play. Of the two plays that make up the one play, The Cursed Child.
We very nearly didn't finish this one thanks to some nasty Audacity file corruption, but thanks to some heroics you get to hear this nearly-lost episode! We discuss the second chunk of our first reading, which includes the Trolley Witch scene, lo...
2022-01-18 15:00:08 +0000 UTC View Post
We're finally here! The play that has loomed over us for the entire run of the podcast is finally in our hands. After years of hearing about the Trolley Witch and reading complaints about Mary Sues... it's time for Cursed Child!
We went very long on this episode, so I've split it into two almost 2 hour episodes. This week we tackle the first quarter or so of the first play (this ...
2022-01-10 15:00:08 +0000 UTC View Post
It's time to play the legendary game... the awful Deathly Hallows third-person shooter. Remember when PC ports were a total crapshoot? This is from that dark age, so it's capped at 30fps and has strange audio desync issues in cutscenes--but it IS playable! Well, in the functional sense. If you're wondering "how bad can a third person shooter possibly be?" well... w...
2022-01-03 15:01:03 +0000 UTC View Post
This is an audio-only version of this holiday season gaming video for anyone who wants Shriek content but can't watch for whatever reason! Maybe you're at work or somethin'. Enjoy!
It's time to play the legendary game... the awful Deathly Hallows third-person shooter. Remember when PC ports were a total crapshoot? This is from that dark age, so it's capped at 30fps and h...
2022-01-03 15:00:06 +0000 UTC View Post
NOTE: This is an audio-only version of a let's play! It's not really a podcast but if you want to hear us chat over a fun Lego game but don't have access to video right now, this is for you!
For the second part of our December extravaganza, we take a look at one of the more well-liked pieces of HP series nostalgia: the tie-in Lego-branded video game! Some of the puzzles for children defin...
2021-12-27 19:14:19 +0000 UTC View Post
NOTE: This is a scheduled post and Youtube's processing has been stuck at 95% for like an hour. If this isn't working when the post goes live, sit tight, I'll get to it when I can!!
For the second part of our December extravaganza, we take a look at one of the more well-liked pieces of HP series nostalgia: the tie-in Lego-branded video game! Some of the puzzles for children definitely wen...
2021-12-27 15:00:07 +0000 UTC View Post
GRINCH VIBES TONIGHT! We're experimenting with occasional video content, and what better way to kick things off than a blind run through our favorite (airquotes) clothing company's Christmas lookbook? Discover the secrets of the Christmas Wizard, hot dog buns, and the perfect holiday heist plan... Plus, Liz has also discovered an exciting new content mine, one that will reveal what ...
2021-12-20 15:01:03 +0000 UTC View Post
This is an audio only version! There's a video version available as well, just in case you missed it.
GRINCH VIBES TONIGHT! We're experimenting with occasional video content, and what better way to kick things off than a blind run through our favorite (airquotes) clothing company's Christmas lookbook? Discover the secrets of the Christmas Wizard, hot dog buns, and the perfect...
We make our glorious return to shake off the cobwebs, chat about scams involving beloved 2000s brands, and lay out some predictions for the third Fantastic Beasts movie that is still happening, somehow. SUPPOSEDLY the real answers are out there... we wouldn't know, though.
We're talking about Fantastic Beasts a lot here which means I should give a general con...
2021-12-06 15:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostHey all!
Some news: the Shack is on hiatus. Since finishing the books, life has caught up and we haven't had space to plan more. I'm so proud of what we made! We couldn't have done it without all of you. Maybe one day the houseboat will return, but for now... please read another book🦉
This isn't easy, but I really am proud of the show and am eternally grateful to all our listener...
2021-05-26 15:01:02 +0000 UTC View Post
The finale, and our revisit that compares the Slytherin subreddit we worked so hard to infiltrate to the HP and gamer subreddits!
2021-05-07 14:00:08 +0000 UTC View Post
Part two! In which we do our homework and see if we pass the test to enter the hallowed halls of Slytherin.
2021-05-01 14:00:06 +0000 UTC View Post
Part I of... III? IV? Is here! Yes, the Sloper Chronicles are looooong and wonderful.
2021-04-27 14:01:02 +0000 UTC View Post
Here it is! The saga of Blackmilk, the weird Australian fast fashion company whose ad copy and jerseys we developed an obsession with.
It took slightly longer than I anticipated, primarily because I think I missed one, but I can't think where. In that spirit!!! If anyone remembers where the actual first mention of Blackmilk is, let me know! The first segment I could find starts with us ta...
2021-04-16 00:58:00 +0000 UTC View Post
The Imagines saga concludes--now the whole thing is in one handy trilogy for your listening pleasure! Well, "pleasure", as this episode collects truly the grimmest Imagines these novels could cook up: Ed Sheeran's boasts, meeting a Kardashian in the Target bathroom and learning all about cyberbullying, the Selena Gomez car heist, and the thrilling Ackles Adventure.
(side note--I realize h...
2021-04-09 14:01:03 +0000 UTC View Post
Important archival work continues! I've cut together the entire Tonight Show and Ian Somerhalder Imagines series, so you can experience the creeping horror of us realizing the strange way they're thematically connected in one handy episode!
2021-04-02 14:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post
Part one of the classic Imagines episode segments! I actually totally forgot these were spread out over bonus and main episodes. Here's our introduction to the concept, and then the story that we thought we'd never top (before immediately finding even funnier ones): Benedict Cumberbatch's wacky murder mansion.
2021-03-26 14:00:06 +0000 UTC View Post
Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 film. The time has come! Before our well-earned pre-Cursed Child break, we watched the final Harry Potter film, and we have so many questions. What worked? What didn't? What was changed? Why is Molly standing everywhere? Why did Voldemort bust when Ron and Hermione destroyed the cup of Ravenclaw? And did this mf really say ponsieve? All this and more in this feature-length...
2021-03-12 15:00:07 +0000 UTC View Post
The Jensen Ackles Heist reaches its thrilling conclusion!
2021-03-12 00:51:51 +0000 UTC View Post
Deathly Hallows epilogue. We did it! We've crossed the finish line. While we still have the movie and more to cover, we're officially finished with the 7 books proper. Does the epilogue provide any emotional closure or worthwhile information to round out the rushed final chapter before it, or does it earn its fairly scornful reputation even among die-hard Harry Potter fans? Well, I'll give you ...
2021-03-05 15:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post
the Imagines were always going to lead to this.
2021-03-05 00:04:54 +0000 UTC View Post
Deathly Hallows chapter 35. This is it. This is the end of Harry Potter proper--sure, we still have to read an epilogue, but this is where the Story Ends! And what an ending it is. For a book this long, it sure sprints to a conclusion, and we're here in this bumper-length episode to do our best to pick up all of the threads it leaves hanging. When did Ron and Hermione stop being characters? Why...
2021-02-26 15:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post