Episode 1435 – Fanthropology | Trending Tuesday

 

SCOOTER: Friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it’s time for the podcaster who’s here to keep you company and take your mind off of stuff, to be your friend in the deep, dark night and hang out with you and just be there and talk to you, to take your mind off of stuff, just with all filler. So, I’m here just to talk at your side. I mean, I’ll talk about some things, I’ll talk about other things, then I’ll use a lot of…not just fill; filler words. Like I say, Sleep With Me podcast, fill ‘er up with filler words. So, I’m glad you're here. If you're new, welcome. I’m really glad you found the show. I hope it can help you out. Give it a few tries. This show is a bit different, but it’s a friendly show, so you don't have to like it. You just might like it. You don't even have to fall asleep, 'cause I’m gonna be here for over an hour to keep you company and hang out with you, so there’s no pressure to fall asleep with this show, either.

 

But it might help you if you're having trouble getting to sleep, staying asleep, or any stuff like that, whatever brought you to the show. I truly am glad you're here and I hope I can help you out. What we got coming up is support so that paying for the show is optional. If you're not a regular listener that listeners night after night after night, don't worry about supporting the show. There’s low-lift ways to support the show if you only listen once in a while if you're new. Make sure you're following any podcast apps so you get updated. You could comment, you could let somebody know about the podcast. But if Sleep With Me changes your life on a nightly basis, like it makes your life better, we really could use your help. Like, if the show has changed your life, if you could consider supporting one of these sponsors or supporting the show directly, that’s really how we're able to be here for you and all the other listeners. Thanks.

 

Intro: Hey, are you up all night tossing, turning, mind racing? Trouble getting to sleep? Trouble staying asleep? Well, welcome. This is Sleep With Me, the podcast that puts you to sleep. We do it with a bedtime story. Alls you need to do is get in bed, turn out the lights, and press Play. I’m gonna do the rest. What I’m going to attempt to do is create a safe place where you could set aside whatever’s keeping you awake. That could be thoughts, things on your mind, thoughts about the past, the present, the future, things you're…thoughts that…you say, where’d…? I thought I was trying to fall asleep here, or I was trying to think of something nice, and now I’m thinking about something else. So, it could be thoughts on your mind, it could be feelings, anything coming up for you emotionally related to those thoughts or feelings that are just there, it could be changes in time, temperature, routine, you could be going through something, in the middle of something, getting over something.

 

Whatever it is, I’m really glad you're here because I’ve been there. Maybe not in the exact same place as you are, but if you've found the show by searching for it or hearing about it and you're looking for something to help you fall asleep, we may share some things, right? ‘Cause for me, it doesn't feel great when I can't sleep or I thought I fell asleep and then I realize I didn't fall…or I was like, was I asleep for, what, two or three minutes there? Now I’m…you know, multiple things. It doesn't feel great. I really just want to get the sleep I need and desire, and I wish it would be easy. Now, it may look different or feel different for you, but there’s a ton of people listening to this show, and we all kinda share this general sensibility around sleep and its challenges, but the specifics of what brought you here…there’s enough people listening right now that there’s someone else listening that can really relate to where you are.

 

They've been through something very similar, and I don't know if you can feel them out there, but they're out there, a regular listener who can relate to you, and they're sending you welcoming and well wishes tonight and saying, man, I hope this podcast can help you, 'cause I found nothing worked but this show. It helped me set up a bedtime routine and stuff like that, too. But they know exactly what brought…exactly what it’s like for you, and they're glad you're here. Not only that; they get to feel good. They get some warmth and positivity by just welcoming you here. So, that’s a pretty cool thing about…that we get to be a part of with this show. The other thing is…what else? Oh, that you deserve a good time at bedtime. Excuse me. You deserve a bedtime…you do, but more of a winding-down kind of good time, not the traditional…oh boy, that was…I guess that was a Freudian slip. I don't know…but you deserve a bedtime without rigmarole, without…where you say, okay, I just want…I don't want to dread bedtime anymore.

 

I hope this show could be a part of that for you, because when you get the rest you need on a regular basis, your life is better. Helping with that if I can gives my life meaning and it gives the…my struggles to sleep meaning and purpose. So, I really hope this show can help you out and that you could be out there in the world flourishing so that…'cause our world will be a better place with you in it. We really could use you. So, I hope the show can help you out. The way it works is I send my voice across the deep, dark night. I use lulling, soothing, creaky, dulcet tones, pointless meanders, and superfluous tangents. So, I go off topic, I get mixed up, then I forget what I was talking about, then I say, wait a second, what was I talking about? I use a lot of uh’s and ah’s and and’s, because this show is supposed to be easygoing. I kinda let my thoughts bubble up so I can go on pointless meanders and superfluous tangents. My voice is creaky, dulcet. It’s not traditionally soothing. It’s on the creaky side of dulcet.

 

If you listen to the show, maybe you know…oh, maybe a hundred episodes ago I said the creeky side of Dawson. That’s the side of the Dawson's Creek that the…you say, which…? You live on the creeky side of Dulcen? Dulcen? No, creeky side of Dawson. No, I live in Dawson's Creek. But the creeky side of Dawson's Creek or the non-creeky side? Never thought…do you mean a creak from the wind in the willows and the other trees or near the creek or…? Do you mean the bendy part of the creek? I guess I live in the bendy part…I mean the bendy creek part of Dawson's Creek. Or I guess everywhere in Dawson's Creek could be considered the creaky side of…I think that’s probably why they named it Dawson's Creek. It wasn't…'cause the creek wasn’t…obviously the creek was never Dawson’s, but maybe everybody lived on…they lived…once upon a time it was Dawson’s, and then they were confused 'cause the hamlet of Dawson was equally distributed on both sides of the creek.

 

Then people say, do you live on the creeky side of Dawson? I say, I don't know what that means 'cause I live in Dawson. They say, well, we're gonna form a new town, those of us on the creeky side of Dawson. So yeah, maybe there was a split. Maybe there’s Dawson and Dawson's Creek. There’s people out there that are like, of all the imaginary lore of Dawson's Creek, it’s not something about how dreamy James Van Der Beek is or Pace…there’s a character named Pacey. I like saying Pacey. But you're gonna…you're writing a fanfic about the…I’m sorry, I’m totally…well, actually, this is a sleep podcast. Yeah, this is the exact kinda…it’s more like fan…is this anthropology? Fanthropology? Is that a thing? Can I invent that? Well, it’s fictional anthropology of…it’s fanthropology. I’m a fanthropologist. I’m not even a good…actually, I’m not even a good one. That could occupy…briefly I’d be the only fanthropologist in the world, and also, for a time, the best and the worst.

 

Then I would be a not-good fanthropologist. Yeah, what are you teaching? Fanthropology 101. The class has not started yet in my imagination. A Study in Place Names: Dawson's Creek. That’s the first thing on the syllabus. Actually the only thing on the syllabus. I believe a creek is a natural body of water, so I don't know how that has to do with anthro…oh no, this is fanthropology, so it can be whatever I want it to be. But you're using -thropology, so…okay, maybe it’ll just be a store in the mall next to that other store where I sell fan stuff, where I sell fans, actual fans. I think that would make even less sense. Okay, well, anyway, so, pointless meanders and superfluous tangents just means I go off topic, I get mixed up, my voice is not traditionally soothing, but I’m here to help. But this show does take some getting used to. So if you're new here, it takes two or three episodes to get used to the show.

 

Most people when they get here…you probably arrived tired, skeptical, doubtful, you were trying to find something to help you out to fall asleep, and then you heard me, and then you just heard that tangent. I mean, I’d like to…I think this fanthropology…maybe this will be what the episode’s about later. So, yeah, I guess that’s what it’ll be about. I thought it was gonna be about something else, but…however you got here, it takes most people two or three tries to get used to the show, and that’s what hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people have told me over the years; at first I didn't…at first I got here…I was like, I thought this was a sleep podcast with bedtime stories. I’m here to get put to sleep. Where’s the guru? Where’s the dreamy stuff? You're just talking about nothing. That’s a pretty common thing. Or, I don't know, I just didn't like you. That’s also common and totally okay. I’m not here to be…I’m here to…if I already won you over, that would be a whole different situation, right?

 

I’d have to slowly develop a rapport, but I develop the rapport by you slowly not listening to me but feeling like, oh, this is a friend I could barely listen to. So, that just takes some getting used to. If you find you already…this show is not your taste or not a match, or you listen two or three times and you discover, yeah, the show just isn't for me, sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou is where you'll find other sleepy stuff, like other sleep podcasts and stuff to help you fall asleep. So, check that out, sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou. But give the show a few tries. See how it goes. A couple things that take getting used to is, one, this is a podcast you don't really listen to. You kinda listen to it, kinda like background noise or somebody talking about fanthropology. You say, it takes some getting used to, right? This guy’s talking about something that…I’m not even sure it exists. So, yeah, fanthropology is something that you may not want to pay attention to or listen to. What else do you need to know?

 

So, it’s almost like a TV on in the other room, a show streaming under your pillow, a out-of-focus picture, or a friend in-person or on the phone who’s…you say, oh, could you talk about something? Tell me about…do you watch that? Do you remember that show, Dawson's Creek? Did you ever watch it? Tell me about it a little bit. But they're the type of friend that say, oh yeah, okay, so…well, which era do you want to know about? Well, how many years was the show on? Well, I prefer to refer to it as eras. Then you get comfortable and your friend keeps talking, but you don't need to listen to them. So, that’s the spirit of the show. It’s like background noise that you could listen to. ‘Cause this show, even though it’s a sleep podcast, even though I’ve been making it twelve years, it is not meant to put you to sleep. There is no pressure to fall asleep with this show. My job is not to put you to sleep.

 

It’s to keep you company while you fall asleep, to be your friend in the deep, dark night, and to be there, because there’s people listening who can't sleep at all, who work really different schedules, who need a break during the day or have some kind of work where they need background noise. I’m here to the very end whether you're awake or asleep, 'cause my job is to be here talking and rambling, to be your bore-friend, your bore-bae, your neighbore, your bore-bie, your boreman, your Boris Borelaf, your best bore-friend f’eva, your chairman of the boreds, to just hang out with you and talk. That’s what a bore-friend does. So, that also takes some getting used to. It’s like, most people…if you tuned into a sleep podcast, you'd expect it to put you to sleep in some sort of method. But my method is more natural. Kids get bedtime stories, but you say, come on, with a kid it’s a little bit…ideally a little bit more efficient. With adults, we kinda chill together and unwind.

 

That kinda leads into the last thing I like to tell people about, which is the structure of the show. The show is structured in a very specific way to benefit the maximum amount of people it can. So, I’ll just tell you about it. All our shows start off with a greeting; friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, so you say, oh, okay, that’s welcoming. I feel seen and welcomed in. I’ll check the show out. It sounds like he may have something not like mild humor…whatever is mild than milder humor. Not that his humor is mild. It’s just not clearly humor. Pre-humor, maybe. Or, whatever, talk about fanthropology. It was from the pre-humorous era. Was there a era where there was no humor? Well, in this podcast there is. It’s pre-humorous, the humor before…one day I’ll be funny. So, that’s what the greeting’s about. Then there’s support so that paying for the show is optional, 'cause it’s optional for people that are new, people that listen occasionally, people who can't support the show, or who just come and go 'cause you're…you have a hard time.

 

You got something coming up, you're in the middle of something. So, the support is just for the people that benefit the most from the show. Then after the support…and if you want to skip the support, you just…you could get ad-free stuff on Sleep With Me+. But after the support is the intro which is a show within a show, totally separate from the support, that takes fifteen to twenty minutes of me explaining what the podcast is inefficiently, going off topic in a different way, maybe even discovering what the episode’s gonna be about. Now I’m trying to think of…huh, what would fanthropology even be about? But we’ll find out, won't we? Yes, I’m already confused. Oh, so the intro goes on and on and on, but it follows a similar structure every time, but it’s different every time. That way…variety is one of the things I know that helps me fall asleep. It has to be familiar and comforting, but it also has to be fresh, otherwise I get used to it. So, that’s the…that’s why every intro is new.

 

Then the reason the intros are around fifteen to twenty minutes long is to ease you into bedtime. The intro is not meant to put you to sleep. If it does put you to sleep, please consider supporting the show, 'cause we need the support of the people that fall asleep fast. But the intro is meant to help you wind down. So, most people are getting ready for bed, doing some sort of wind-down or chill activity, in bed getting comfortable, petting their pets, yeah, getting eased into bedtime. That’s what the intro is there for, to be a part of your wind-down routine, to give you a buffer between being awake and asleep. That’s what works for me most of the time and that’s what most studies have shown works, is having something nice at bedtime or a few nice things at bedtime to kinda neutralize the other stuff and say, well, at least I have that…I mean, that podcast is not bad.

 

He is on the creaky…he is pre-humorous and on the creaky side of something, but I kinda…I don't mind that, and then I got…I’m gonna doodle and look out the window and lie on the floor for a little while. So, that’s what the intro does. Then after the intro will be support, and then after the support will be our episode. Turns out tonight, I don't know, it’ll be a Trending Tuesday-style episode, we call it, where we try to make an episode out of an idea about…what was the idea? Fanthropology. So, yeah, I’m glad you're here. I really…if you're new, I’m really glad you checked the show out. I hope it can help you out or I hope you give it a few tries even if I don't help you find something that does help you.

 

If you're coming back recently or you're just having a tough time, I hope I can help, and if you're a regular listener, so glad to be here in your ears. Myself and a team of people work really hard on the show, which, again, can seem not real, but it is. It gives our lives meaning to make this show and help people out. The way we can do that is because if the people that benefit the most…like one person that listens to the show five, six, seven nights a week supports the show tonight, it’ll be here for everybody else. So, if that’s you, if you could think about supporting one of these sponsors or supporting the show directly, it’d be amazing. Thanks.

 

Hey everybody, this is Scoots here. This is just a heads up that this episode was recorded in early January of 2026 about Dawson's Creek and James Van Der Beek, and this was before Mr. Van Der Beek headed over the lovely rainbow bridge into a place that prob…somewhere in the sky that also probably has a pretty sweet version of Dawson's Creek that he could visit when he feels like it, maybe similar to this episode, which is very dreamy. But I just want to let you know that. If you're a big James Van Der Beek fan or a Dawson's Creek fan, you may want to save this or listen to it during the day, and that there will be links to resources and things you could support if you want to take the time to say, oh, James Van Der Beek was important to me. There will be links in the show notes.

 

But I think this is inadvertently a pretty nice episode about…it’s more about Dawson a little bit. I don't know, it’s a Trending Tuesday one based on where we just meander with some randomness. So, I hope you enjoy it, but I did also want to say, hey, I just want to let you know as well. Thanks, and let’s see, I don't know…this is behind the scenes that you'll actually hear, but I say, well, should I put this after the intro, before the intro, or before the story? That’s a great question. I guess after the intro? So, yeah, if this…again, if this podcast makes your life better on a regular basis, these are the ways you could say thanks or support the show back. Thanks.

 

Hello everyone. My name is Agatha, and I’ll be taking over the podcast class today. Pleased to meet all of you. Now, I’ll be…some of you…most of you may not know me. It’s been quite a while since I’ve needed to take over for Scooter, so I will give you the short version even though the history of my existence is…I’m known as…well, in your world I’m known as Cinderella’s stepmother, but that’s all…unless you really listen to this podcast, which would be…some of you do, which I appreciate those of you that do feel like you know me. But I live in a different realm, of course, and I do adventure to your realm when I see Scooter unable to deliver, in this case on a fanthropology episode and course. This is where I could be of service to Scooter. He has many, many things…he’s like a juggler who is trying to juggle twelve balls on his first day of work. Maybe not; maybe on his fifth day of work. You say, I thought you took a juggling class, Scooter.

 

But some people may say that, but I say, well, I’m a teacher now in my realm. Now, this may be hard to wrap your head around, but I’m also…I was once a human just like you, you and I, but due to a sequence of events, I am now a sentient pit of lentils or pool of lentils or gathering of lentils. Or if I need to go somewhere, a contain…a vat of lentils. But I…oh, I also want to note that this is not a preview or anything. This is purely about fanthropology, and this Dawson's Creek thing…I don't…I know nothing about Dawson’s Creek. Well, I mean, I’m looking at what Scooter gave me, which is his sub…he doesn't have…I teach classes to the children of our realm, and not just human children; other children in our wonderful world we live in. But, you know, I’m here in your wonderful world in your wonderful ears to talk to you. So, let me read through this. I said to myself, Van Der Squeak. I did, but…and I thought…Scooter was helping me write other jokes. I feel my heart withering, Pacey.

 

But anyway…okay, so let me find out about Dawson's Creek and then we’ll go into the fanthropology. So, Dawson's Creek, according to Wikipedia, is an American teen drama television series about a group of friends in Capeside, Mass — that’s short for Massachusetts — from high school to college. Six seasons, 1998 to 2003. There was Dawson, Joey, Pacey, Jen, other characters. Kevin Williamson was the creator. The show was filmed in North Carolina. It was one of the flagship shows for the WB, along with Buffy and Seventh Heaven. The premise; Dawson Leery, introspective fifteen-year-old aspiring filmmaker. His best friend, Josephine “Joey” Potter, who comes to his house through a ladder into his bedroom for movie-watching and platonic sleepovers. Scooter always says plutonic, but I think that’s 'cause Scooter has a platonic relationship with Pluto. I mean, I guess it’s platonic, because…but Scooter says, I feel…I know how you feel, Pluto…platonic hangouts or sleepovers.

 

Joey lives with her older sister, Bessie. They run the restaurant The Icehouse. Dawson works at a video rental store with Pacey. This reminds me of another show we’ve been watching here in our realm. We used…we have to…believe it or not, we have to run a cable into Scooter’s realm. I say, if those streaming companies…we won't be…you want us to stream and watch the commercials? I say, whoa, couldn't it be one or the other? But Pacey is a underachieving class clown who occasionally squabbles with Joey. Squabble; I love that term. Now, it’s one of those things with Dawson and Joey. How do they feel about one…? Is it platonic or not? Scooter, what about you and Pluto? I guess that’s a long-distance relationship. Ha, ha. Now you may say, Agatha, do you have a love in your life? I do. I call him the Letter Man. You could…but this is not about me. This is a class I’m teaching. But I do have someone close to my heart named the Letter Man.

 

Not in this teen drama…'cause I think if you do sports, you wear a letter shirt or something. He’s not like that. Anyway, he…I mean, being a pit of lentils, it’s a…it makes for…in our realm it’s not…oh, I didn't point this out; it’s very rare for someone to be…to transfer from a human form to any other form. It has to be some sort of powerful magic. So, the idea of me becoming a pit of lentils, even in our realm…you may say, Agatha, you sound different. Well, in our realm I was pretty much a queen, or first advisor to the queen. Then I became a pit of lentils. But I’ve adjusted. They do say…I think Scooter’s big on this. Talk about plasticity when you're lentils. But you have to be resilient. Even if you become a pit of lentils, you have to be resilient. Also a archetypal part of scooter’s life is because of Fraggle Rock. Now I wonder if that’s how I became the pit of lentils, is…do I have Fraggle Rock to point my finger at?

 

But then I would say, Agatha, that means that four…three fingers are pointing back at you, and your thumb is kinda pointing at your nose. Because it can look like a non…I can look like a form much like…anyway, Scooter does have a lot of sentient lumps or things like piles. Okay, back to the thing. Joey, Dawson, and then Jen arrives, who has moved to Capeside from New York City, living with her grandparents. It’s a coming-of-age story, so it deals with things that teens must deal with. Oh, also, Scooter wanted me to note, this is not a future watchalong, either, because then it would ruin his ability to say the creeky side of Dawson once he…if he gained knowledge. ‘Cause I said, what do you know about Dawson's Creek? That was what he said. He just looked at me and he said, well, let me show you these jokes I wrote. I said, thank you, Pod Man. I said, they're actually not bad for a joke from Scooter…the pitter…the witter-pattering of my heart.

 

But I said, Scooter, even I know that most people don't know Pacey’s last name. But when I see those eyes, I do feel a little leery. Oh, no, that’s a different word. No, I don't feel leery. I feel drawn in. Okay, Season 1 is thirteen episodes. It covers, according to Wikipedia, the triangular relations of Dawson, Joey, and Jen. Some have compared it to Archie, Betty, and Veronica or…oh, and there’s homage…homages…homage, homage to classic Hughes movies and also Kevin Williamson’s other works. Season 2 is the sophomore year, second half. Andie and Jack move into town. A-type Andie gets involved with Pacey, helps him become more motivated. She’s having a tough time. Not a lot of quality parenting or availability of parents. Just very Disney-esque. I mean, I might have fit right in in Dawson's Creek in a sense. Pacey helps Andie. Joey drawn to Jack…reciprocation of feelings, but not sure.

 

Jack has to deal with…Jack says, I’m attracted to who I’m attracted to, but not everybody can be open-minded about such things, and mostly closed-minded, it seems. Jen becomes Abby…friends with Abby, not becomes Abby, and Dawson’s dealing with things at home, too. Season 3, junior year. Joey and Pacey in romance. Dawson finds out. Dawson and Pacey become rivals. Joey tries to rekindle the platonic relationship with Dawson. Then Dawson says, go and fly with Pacey, who’s sailing down the coast for the summer. Jen and Henry connect. Jack connects with someone. I think Jack’s father sells the only home he knows while juggling football. Fourth season, senior year. Joey and Pacey have ups and downs. They're trying to figure out what they're gonna do next. Joey’s friendship with Dawson makes Pacey feel unsure. We have things…Jen, Henry, Andie…Jen’s friendship with Jack in the group goes, and then Pacey starts…Dawson starts dating Pacey’s sister, Gretchen.

 

Dawson? Fifth season has them leave to LA. Dawson at USC but changing his mind…and Dawson’s trying to figure out his future. Joey, Jack, and Jen are in Boston at fictional schools. Pacey’s adrift even though he was working on a yacht, and then goes into the restaurant business. Jack joins a fraternity and he’s in a relationship with Tobey, but that’s having challenges. Joey struggles to adjust as a college student, makes a new friend. Jen tries to support Dawson. In 6, Dawson moves to Boston, works on a low-budget film project that echoes his life in Capeside. Jen’s dealing with challenges, Jack’s dealing with challenges, Joey is dealing with a professor, Pacey’s on a new career. He takes a job as a stock broker. Then they close out the season. So, let me talk about…so, we're trying to imagine the…what would be…so, let’s just start to imagine we're walking. I’m wondering what we could see as a part of Dawson's Creek if I just wandered into Dawson's Creek as a fanthropologist.

 

The first thing I saw was a…some picturesque things. There’s obviously a creek, maybe there’s a bog or a watering hole, and in the distance there’s ocean. But one of the first things that catches my eye are three people sitting. Well, one is…so, it’s like a picnic. So, imagine at a distance there’s a few rolling, green hills, and there’s three figures we could see on the rolling, green hills. You say, it looks like they're having a picnic or just chilling in the grass. One of the people is sitting down, looking up, and then at the center is a figure, a central figure, I would say. So you say, that must be Dawson. I can see the sea beyond on the horizon, and I can see it in his eyes, the same thing, is that a storm was in my heart. Now, as a fanthropologist you may say…we would have to find this within paintings. So, let’s imagine we're looking at a painting. You say, okay, even though this is a painting called Dawson's Creek…okay, so there’s something…did that artist choose those same colors?

 

Okay, so, what else am I seeing? Correct. Thank you for remind…I was…I got lost in this dream. Okay, so, the painting that we're seeing…Dawson is holding out one hand, and holding Dawson’s hand is a woman with long hair. She’s moving. Is she going to sit down or is she standing up? That’s a question I don't have an answer to. Her hand is not holding Dawson’s hand, I’ll note as I look here on the painting. Dawson is kind of holding her palm. So, is he helping her up or helping her down? As I look closer at the painting, I can see looking up at Dawson is…I say, is that Pacey? I’m not sure, because it’s a little bit out of focus. But he’s lying there, a little bit stiff, one hand holding him up as he kind of leaned back…leans back, his legs extended, one hand on his thigh. He’s looking up. Is his stiffness because of the hand-holding? Is his stiffness because…is this Pacey? Is Pacey sitting down or standing up? Is this Dawson-like figure about to say, hey, you two hold hands, as we read in Wikipedia?

 

Or is something else afoot? I don't know. Now, not far from the picnic ground is a watering hole. You'd say, what kind of forest friends are we seeing at the watering hole? I’d say, great question. Now, off to the side of Pacey…no, no, not Pacey; Joey. I’m sorry, Joey. Pacey and Joey; I get those two mix…even when I didn't…even when Scooter was telling me about the show, he said, Joshua Jackson is Pacey, but remember that because it’s easy to forget. I’d say, well, Joshua Jackson is unforgettable. Scooter said, agreed, but he’s like, he’s already your best friend. I’d say, Scooter, we're different people. We have different feelings. But that’s fine if you imagine that there’s something about Joshua Jackson that makes you think he would make easy friendships. But what I’m saying right now is to…as when unsure of Joey’s rising or falling…I mean, falling gently to join the picnic with Pacey. A picnic with Pacey. There are bunny rabbits painted not far from her. You'd say, interesting.

 

Now, are there any other beings that could give us hints about anything of the intention of this painter? Well, yes, they could, because there’s a kitty cat. The kitty cat is going for a walk. Now, he…the kitty cat…they, I guess; they. I’m sorry, kitty cat. I shouldn't assume anything. The kitty cat is taking a friend for a walk on the right side of Pacey. Now, near Dawson…between Pacey and Dawson and between Dawson and Joey there are no forest friends. But if we go down to the watering hole and say, is there any metaphors within the watering hole for the world of Dawson's Creek? I’d say, well, as a fanthropologist, I guess we're in the gathering phase and not the analysis phase. We're looking at an ancient painting that I was told by Scooter was titled Dawson's Creek, but now I’m wondering if it is. But so…yeah, so by the watering hole we see two…one, a peacock-like character, and then another, a…some sort of waterbird. You know those birds…?

 

If you lived with…if you lived…Scooter lived in the bay area and there was this one kind of bird that loved to swim and find sustenance under the water. Now, not a duck, not a waterfowl. Nothing that’s foul about waterfowl, but this was not a waterfowl that I know of. It was like a slender bird, and when it would come out of the water it would look very slick, though eventually if it wasn't under the water, its feathers would return to non-slickness. In this painting, those two are having a conversation. Then off to the side is a pheasant who just seems to be relaxing at the…watching the activity in the water. What do you call it? A water hole? A water…a gathering place for…mostly birds. Not all birds. Then we have another bird taking a drink in some ferns. Then coming out of the water is a seal, a spotted seal, who said, hey, I’m getting out now. I’m gonna relax, too.

 

Then in the water is a frog who looks like they're either getting out or getting in or calling to someone and…oh, maybe they're having a conversation with a bird. This, again, may be a metaphor. This bird has…this is a bird that looks like…somewhat of that similar…it’s a bird with three…a three-beaked bird. It’s a talkative bird, 'cause one of the beaks…heads with a beak…so, it’s a three-headed bird, and one head is talking to a frog. Then in-between…then next to the frog, swimming, is some sort of unicornfish. I’ve never seen that before in any realm. Not huge. So, smaller than a seal. Not a seahorse, 'cause part of it is above water. I’m not sure if it’s a mammal or a fish, but it has a unicorn…did I say seahorse? I mean a unicornfish. Next to the unicornfish, also having a conversation with the three-headed bird, is…oh, and I just noticed something in the painting, new, as I got closer that I’ll go to after the watering hole. There’s a spoonbill, some sort of spoonbill.

 

That’s a kind of bird, and the spoonbill is swimming and talking to one of the heads of the three-headed bird. Then there’s another flying fish in the water coming out to say, what’s the ruckus about, or something? There’s other birds swimming or other fish in the water we can't quite see, then there’s some sort of roosterfish or rooster…a rooster swimming. It could just be a rooster swimming. Then it’s tough to tell, but it looks like there’s either…what would you call that? Oh, that’s what…those things that lay eggs. I forget the name of that being. It’s got a beak and it lays eggs. It’s…oh, a platypus. A duck-billed platypus is reading a book, but it also has a fish body, or it’s an illusion and there’s also a fish swimming by the duck-billed platypus. But most importantly, the duck-billed platypis…platypis…platypus is reading a book. So, who might that be in the world of Dawson's Creek? What can we understand? ‘Cause at first I said, this has nothing to do with Dawson's Creek.

 

But then I said, well, there are three figures and a central figure. It is called Dawson's Creek. But let’s stick with the watering hole, 'cause there’s a couple little frog houses. One frog’s going in a house, and I think another fish is peeking out of another house and saying, hey. Then if you go up, there’s three more frogs. They're having a couple conversations with a couple other birds. Then there’s a bird having a conversation…somewhat of a pheasant-type bird, a very regal-looking bird. It’s having a conversation with the third head of the three-headed bird. Then there’s another bird resting in the sunshine, I’m assuming, spreading its wings and its long beak. Yeah, we see the other birds having a conversation with a frog, then there’s a crow, a raven, looking off screen. What does that represent? I don't know. But then there’s one bird, somewhat like a dove or a pigeon, gray, gray and black, and that bird is looking at something that I did not notice before.

 

It is the feet, the feet…wait a second, the feet…this is interesting, and again, as a fanthropologist, you can't take literal meaning even from non-literal things. So, let’s remember that. But this is definitely…Pacey’s feet are touching — and in some sense, in a way I wonder about…but again, it’s probably metaphorical — Dawson’s feet. Oh, maybe Dawson’s robe. Oh, they're about to…maybe they're touching Dawson’s robe and Dawson’s robe just looks like a foot. Oh, Dawson’s wearing a robe for some reason, a flowing robe. But let’s keep analyzing or collecting data. Also, to the left side is a fruit tree, and it doesn't just have one fruit on it. It has two to three to four different kinds of fruit, as well as a bird eating some of the fruit. If you go up into the top of the tree, it has…so, some vines are carrying one fruit, maybe grapes. So, I guess in a sense I’m incorrect. There’s two different sets of grape vines on the tree, and then in the tops of the tree is some sort of berry, blue. Not a blueberry.

 

Then behind the picnic area is a grove, nearly a forest of fruit trees, apple or some sort of persimmon, a reddish orange, and that is what is in the foreground of this first part of this painting about Dawson's Creek. But let’s not stop there. As we move above the picnic ground, things become more mysterious and art-like, for there’s a lake or a pond or, I guess in this case, a…I guess we could say it, a tributary. Maybe not a tributary; a…what would you call it? ‘Cause a tributary feeds the creek. A creek feeds a river. But sometimes creeks like Dawson’s have meanders that become…yeah, because I can see the outflow. I guess I would say…in my opinion I will say, at least in this painting, Dawson's Creek probably flows to the sea. But this is more of a nice…it does look nice. It’s not a watering hole, but it is busy with life, teeming with activity and life. So, we’ll say it’s like a pond. Well, it’s not a pond. A pond doesn't have an outlet. I don't know.

 

It’s a…I don't know, a little pond off a creek, off of Dawson's Creek. We’ll just say that. Around the pond, let’s…before we get to the center of the pond where there’s a lot going on, around the pond is different forest friends and even things that are saying, right now I’m evolving, or I think I represent something more. A lot of these are very dreamlike forest friends. It’s almost like if a bird and a balloon or a gourd crossed with a duck or if a turtle and a sponge got together. Very nice-looking friends. They seem to all be headed towards some sort of celebration or just relaxing in the sun. But there’s a large amount of them and they're saying, let’s get out of the water now and let’s all play a game or something. There’s even some of them going into what looks like someone’s room. Oh, let me show you my toys. Please come with me.

 

Above that is even a little place…you know in very picturesque…I could even picture Dawson and Pacey or Dawson and Joey or Pacey and Joey or Dawson by himself lying on one of these rocks in the sun, soaking it in. There’s more trees and plants with plenty of fruits and fruits aplenty. Then we have another rabbit. We have, again, imaginary friends. There’s a giraffe that kind of looks like a little bit more of a pony giraffe. There’s a teddy bear, there’s…what is that type of dog called? You know what kind it is but you can't think of the name. Oh, you just had it, Scooter. But a dog that Scooter knows, a kinda…oh, Cavalier, a Cavalier, but it’s also…if you imagine a Cavalier…oh, you know how cute those Cavalier dogs…I wouldn't be cavalier about those dogs, if that’s what they're called. They're cute. They're very foxy in a sense, and…but this one also has a bit of ostrich in it.

 

Then there’s a elephant, and then on the other side of the painting is…we’ve got different…we’ve got a unicorn, a bull, a couple deer, a couple horses, a few gazelles, all drinking water together. Must be having some sort of conference. Below them we have different reeds you'd expect to see in a tributary of Dawson's Creek or whatever we call it, a side quest, the wonderful side area of Dawson's Creek. There’s a lot of waterfowl. Before; no waterfowl. Now I see a lot of waterfowl, and I’m not feeling foul about it at all. We’ve got some cranes, some ducks, all sorts of waterbirds hanging out. But what makes this unique is that in the center of this water…so, I guess you could say, in a sense, at least, this is the center of Dawson's Creek. There is…because this is just a picture, it’s a bit fantastical, I guess. It is like a castle. Now, I will say that it is my belief at this moment that maybe this represents Dawson’s room. Or, if you want to go deeper, the room within Dawson, in a good way.

 

I’m not saying it…or both things, like Dawson’s room, you know, the unseen depths of Dawson. That could also mean not just Dawson the character but the entire populous of Dawson's Creek. But at the center of this painting is…it is fantastic. It looks nothing like a room you'd expect Dawson to be in. But there is one window, and looking out that window is an owl, but that owl has very powerful eyes. The eyes are not blue. I was so Van Der Squeaking that I don't even know if his eyes are blue. I think there’s also…I said, Scooter, what other films has he been in? Scooter said, may…Varsity Blues, I think, but I’m not positive on that one. But so, looking out from the window is an owl, the wisdom of Dawson. You'd say, okay, Dawson is a central character. As an anthropologist, I am allowed to…I’m not…this isn't my thesis statement. It’s just…sometimes you do use…this is a part of…it’s almost like brainstorming. Now, luckily this is just fanthropology, so you have a little bit more freedom.

 

You could do fanthropology. Just make sure you say, like Scooter said, I’m an amateur fanthropologist. Oh, in this case I’m going in empty because I know nothing about Dawson's Creek, and I’m just looking at a painting of Dawson's Creek. So, this is kind of a live look at how a amateur fanthropologist works. Okay, so this bedroom, it’s built…underneath it…and again, I would say this is a metaphor…I wouldn't say it’s a garbage, but it is built on an island of maybe former shells, discarded items. There’s even a couple birds and frogs doing things. Then this…the structure that represents Dawson’s room, it does have a spiritual element to it, and our heart goes pitter-patter, and even my-back-is-sweating elements to it, I would say. It does look organic. There is water and light flowing out of it, and it does go up and up and up like a growing set of flowers, or if you were watching science fiction or something and flowers created buildings.

 

When you talk about the coming of age of each of the characters, they are in a state of flowering, ideally. Because there’s water flowing and light flowing out of Dawson’s room, which may represent the interior life of Dawson and Dawson's Creek, I think it’s safe to say that the water and the light is meant to help one another grow, and that does seem to be an element…though my knowledge of Dawson's Creek is…it doesn't seem like there was a ton of adult support. So, these characters had to, with Dawson as their representative, help one another. Now, as we move further away towards the horizon from Dawson's Creek, we do see other forest friends playing or leading. There’s some…maybe some hedgehogs and a quill buddy and some sort of laughing, and then more gazelles. Towards the back side…huh, I wonder what birds in Dawson's Creek represent. There are a lot of birds. On the top-left of this painting there is a…there’s different structures.

 

Maybe one is…maybe these represent school and society. I’m not sure. There are flocks and flocks of birds. One is kind of like a hut that also does look familiar. Some birds are gathered around it. Some birds are flying in through the roof. Some birds are sitting and chattering. Then there’s also a parade of birds that seem to be crow-like, though maybe not. They seem to be headed somewhere, maybe to a conference or something. Then there’s even more birds flying in formation. Oh, that does remind me of…I mean, 'cause as an imaginary teacher who teaches within the imagination, this could be what…the challenges for the…not just the teens of Dawson's Creek but everyone, 'cause these birds are all flying in formation. They seem to be practicing. They're going through circles. They head off into the distance almost endlessly, but there are a lot of them, and there are some unique things. Oh, maybe we’ve moved in the wrong direction of the painting, in a sense.

 

Can you move in the wrong direction? These are questions I don't know the answers to. That’s why we're exploring. But the birds are certainly moving away from Dawson, this particular set of birds flying in formation, of which there’s hundreds. Now, beyond that you can see what I will pretend, at least, is the sea where Dawson's Creek flows to. But there’s also a dreamy range of mountains that suddenly are in blues. We go from greens and your normal colors of animals and rocks to the horizon being a blue, with some of the birds and some wheat coloring…like wheat, W-H-E-A-T. There are a lot more birds, but there’s also structures, circular structures. Could they be film canisters? They look like rocks. Another one like a cloak around a mountain…I don't know, is it a chef’s cloak? Is it a graduation cloak? Another one looks like a shield. Of course, you could interpret any of these structures for any other ways you would like to, if you catch my drift.

 

But yeah, I say, those…and there’s one that looks like a moon, there’s…oh, there’s also…another central thing I’m noticing is that there are a few birds sitting as couples, one on the cuff…the collar of the cloak around a mountain. The Collar of a Cloak Around the Mountain, my first piece of Dawson’s fanfiction. No, I’m kidding. But there’s two birds sitting next to each other there, and then further up on the mountain is an organic structure like something you'd see growing in a swamp or something, but on a mountain and gigantic. On there there’s also two birds sitting and enjoying one another’s company? I don't know what they're doing. But they are…you say, are those platonic…? Plutonic? Platonic or plutonic? Then again, off in the…to the right side there’s birds flying in formation, but there is a leader bird guiding these birds along. So, you could say that every bird does need a leader, but I don't know that that’s necessarily true or not.

 

Again, checking the horizons and things, I say, okay, well, you could interpret that it is not the sea in the distance but land, but grassy…blue, grassy land. But it does carry you off. Yeah, that’s a dreamy part of this painting that I just wanted to present to you…oh, wait, no, okay, there’s another gathering of birds here. Are these birds? Huh, interesting. Something open to interpretation here in the center-back, middle-back, before we go to the…before we get to the end. I’d say they're little lines. They could be feathers, they could be leaves, or they could be birds that you only see at a distance, a great gathering of birds. So, each of these gatherings of birds could be a representation of each gathering…I mean, as a teen you do have to go from gathering to gathering a lot of times. You feel the should that you should, and it is a good growth opportunity, even when you don't want to go to these gatherings, and some of them are loose.

 

Like, it’s just gathering on the ground that could be a pile of leaves or birds at a distance. Oh, those are birds flying in formation. Oh, those are birds walking in a line down a high-school hallway. Oh, there’s…gathered at the watering hole. But again, I think the central images of…a gathering of three, which…'cause you'd say, this is a representation of the confusion of being young and saying, what is love? What is platonic? What is more? Agape and the other ones, you know? So, I think the central image of Dawson, Pacey, and Joey, as I’m interpreting it, in front of a waterhole teaming with life, I think the underlying image is that to be a teen, remember that you are alive, full of life and vigor, but that it is confusing. Even if Dawson’s sitting in the center being stoic, you could look behind Dawson and above to see what lies within each of us, as I do believe, whether you're a pit of lentils, a nineties…what did we say?

 

Nineties or aughts teen, drama, or a human just making your way in the world, within us lies a palace like Dawson’s room. A wise owl is in there looking out saying, huh, what’s this world out there? I’m curious. The owl first must be curious for knowledge before it gains knowledge or wisdom. The owl itself is not wise independently. So, first it watches out the window from Dawson’s room, the palace within each of us, but water and light flows in and out. The foundation is something of things that were once discarded, that some may have thought, I’m going to throw this shell away and move on. But it is on this solid foundation that the palace that lives within Dawson’s room arises organically in a way beyond design, in a way that with me stirs awe and stirs activity from natural beings.

 

Like the owl, as a fanthropologist, particularly a independently amateur fanthropologist, I want to be like that owl looking out with curiosity and saying, it’s my curiosity that will give me the wisdom and the knowledge. But maybe I could look down upon these three slightly-confused figures trying to figure out where they belong in the world but knowing within them is a palace, as I do believe there is within each one of us, a beautiful palace. You could even say that Dawson’s palace is twisted, but it’s twisted like the vines with the grapes. So, I’m glad you joined me tonight. From your friend Agatha, I wish you well and goodnight.

 

[End of recording]

Transcription performed by LeahTranscribes

Trending Tuesday

 

Dawson’s Creek

https://theconversation.com/why-dawsons-creek-in-all-its-cringey-glory-is-the-tv-show-90s-kids-need-right-now-148539

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/nov/25/dawsons-creek-helped-teen-tv-get-emotional

https://ew.com/tv/2018/03/29/dawsons-creek-influence-teen-tv-critic-essay/

 

Fan Fiction

https://www.pastemagazine.com/books/fiction/history-of-published-fanfiction-explained-trend

https://learnaboutpod.com/ep-132/

https://bookriot.com/history-of-fanfiction/

 

Letterman Jacket

https://www.heddels.com/2023/07/the-history-of-varsity-jackets/

https://www.collater.al/en/history-varsity-jacket-style/

https://www.analogshift.com/blogs/transmissions/varsity-jacket-history?srsltid=AfmBOorkiUjYdjATg2M8a-4-sbeF38qj9qAclFl80GqDrNTlkKfM–6_

 

How Pokemon are designed

https://professorbeans98.medium.com/pok%C3%A9mon-the-design-process-c62fe9e47181

https://gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2017/08/10/heres-how-game-freak-designs-pokemon-creatures.aspx

https://www.ign.com/articles/fakemon-designer-explains-what-makes-a-pokmon-a-pokmon

 

DOWN TO BUSINESS

I’m here to just take your mind off of stuff

All Filler

Fill ‘er up with filler words

 

PLUGS

Sleep With Me Plus; SleepPhones; Story Only Feed; Emily Tat Artwork; Crisis Textline

 

SPONSORS

Grow Therapy; Helix Sleep; Zocdoc; Coyuchi

 

INTRO

I thought I was trying to fall asleep here

Feelings that are just there

We may share some things in the deep dark night

I really just want to get the sleep I need or desire

Sharing a general sensibility around sleep and its challenges

You deserve a good time at bedtime

A winding down kind of good time

I guess that was a Freudian slip

The creaky side of Dawson

I guess I live in the bend in the willows before Dawson’s Creek

Is this Fanthropology?

I’m not even a good fanthropologist

I think this fanthropology is a good idea for an episode…

Where’s the guru?

I develop a rapport by you slowly not listening to me

You might not want to pay attention to anything I’m saying

The eras of Dawson’s Creek

Believe it or not, there’s no pressure to fall asleep

I’m just here to be your borefriend

Explaining the show structure

Humor from the pre-humorous era

One day I’ll be funny

Familiar and comforting, but fresh!

The intro is meant for you to wind down

On the creaky side of something…

A Trending Tuesday style episode about…fanthropology?

Thanks for stopping by

 

STORY

Agatha is here to take over the substitute podcast class today

A short version of Agatha’s existence

Cinderella’s stepmother

I live in a different realm, of course

He’s like a juggler who’s trying to juggle 12 balls on his fifth day of work

I’m a teacher now

Also, I’m now a sentient pool of lentils

I know nothing about Dawson’s Creek

Van Der Squeak

Let’s begin with a summary of Dawson’s Creek

6 seasons

Dawson, Joey, Pacey, Jen

Kevin Williamson created it

The show was filmed in North Carolina but set in Massachusetts

A flagship show for WB

Dawson Leary, an introspective aspiring filmmaker

Her best friend Joey

Scooter says Plutonic, not platonic

A plutonic relationship with Pluto

Pacey is an underachieving class clown

The love in my life is the Letterman, but this isn’t about me

Oh btw, it’s not normal to be a pit of lentils even in my realm

I used to be first advisor to the queen

Talk about plasticity

Even if you become a pit of lentils, you have to be resilient

Am I a pit of lentils because of Fraggle Rock

Scooter does love a sentient lump

Jen moves from NYC to live with her grandparents

A show about teens dealing with teen stuff

Scooter will never do a watchalong of Dawson’s Creek because it would ruin the phrase

Describing seasonal arcs

Season 1 

Similar to Archie, Betty, and Veronica

Homages to classic John Hughes movies

Season 2 – the sophomore year 2nd half

Not a lot of quality parenting going on

Very Disney-Esque

Love triangles and rekindled romances

Dawson dates Pacey’s sister

5th Season, they head to LA

Dawson goes to USC

But Joey, Jack, and Ben go to Boston

Pacey was adrift (on a yacht)

6th Season – Dawson moves to Boston

He works on a film that echoes his life

Pacey works as a stockbroker

Wandering into Dawson’s Creek as a fanthropologist

I see a creek

A bog and a watering hole

In the distance is the ocean

Three people sitting on the rolling green hills

Just chilling in the grass

A central figure in the center

Is that storm in my heart?

Imagine we’re looking at a painting

Holding Dawson’s hand is a woman with long hair

Is she sitting or standing up?

Pacey looks up

Is his stiffness natural or enforced?

Not far from the picnic ground is a watering hole

I mix up Pacey and Joey

There’s just something about Joshua Jackson

A picnic with Pacey

Bunny rabbits are painted not far from her

Is there any other animal symbolism in this painting?

A kitty cat is taking her friend for a walk

We’re in the gathering phase of fanthropology

A peacock-like character

Some sort of waterbird

There’s nothing foul about waterfowl

Off to the side is a relaxing pheasant

A three-headed bird talking to a frog

A unicorn fish is next to the frog

I’ve never seen that before

Oh, I just noticed something else in the painting

Some sort of spoonbill

Another flying fish in the water

A rooster fish? A rooster swimming?

A duckbilled platypus is reading a book. But also it has a fish body

Who is the platypus in the world of Dawson’s Creek?

Frogs entering their frog houses

A very regal bird

A black bird is looking at something…Pacey’s feet?

As a fanthropologist, you can’t take a literal meaning from anything, even nonliteral things

Are Pacey’s feet touching Dawson’s robe?

Let’s keep collecting data

A fruit tree with 4 kinds of fruit

Let’s move beyond the foreground

A creek feeds the river feeds the ocean

Dawson’s Creek probably flows to the sea

Teeming with activity and life

Very dreamlike forest friends

Like if a bird and a balloon merged

A gourd crossed with a duck

A turtle and a sponge mixed together

Wading out of the water

I can picture the cast of DC lying on these rocks, soaking in the sun

More imaginary friends

I would never be cavalier about a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

All breeds of animal drinking water together

The wonderful side quest of Dawson’s Creek

Does this cabin represent the room within Dawson?

The Unseen Depths of Dawson

Looking out a window is a very powerful owl

I think JVDB was in Varsity Blues

An island of discarded shelves

Various States of Flowering

Hedgehogs and a quill buddy

I wonder what these birds represent

A parade of crow-like birds

Maybe we’re moving in the wrong direction of the painting

The birds are moving away from Dawson

Beyond that is…the sea, I think

A dreamy range of mountains

Some Wheat Coloring

What kind of cloak is that around the mountain?

The Collar of the Cloak Around the Mountain, my first piece of Dawson fan fiction

Are those birds plutonic or platonic?

A leader birds guide others along

Does every bird need a leader?

Wait, are these even birds?

They could be feathers or leaves

A Great Gathering of Birds

Feeling the Shoulds of Teen Life

A representation of the confusion of being young

What is love? What is amour? What is agape?

Living before a watering hole, full of life

The owl must be curious for knowledge before it gains wisdom

A foundation of things once discarded

Independently Amateur Fanthropologist

It is my curiosity that will bring me knowledge

Within each one of us is a palace

Thank you for joining me tonight

 

SUMMARY:

Episode: 1435

Title: Fanthropology | Trending Tuesday

Plugs: Sleep With Me Plus; SleepPhones; Story Only Feed; Emily Tat Artwork; Crisis Textline

Sponsors: Grow Therapy; Helix Sleep; Zocdoc; Coyuchi

Notable Language:

• The creaky side of Dawson
• Fanthropology
• Pre-Humorous Era
• A gathering of lentils
• Van Der Squeak
• Plutonic / Platonic
• Sentient Lump
• Very Disney-Esque
• Peacock-Like Character
• Some sort of waterbird
• There’s nothing foul about waterfowl
• Unicorn Fish
• Platypus
• The Unseen Depths of Dawson
• Various States of Flowering
• Crow-Like Birds
• Some Wheat Coloring
• W-H-E-A-T
• A Great Gathering of Birds
• Independently Amateur Fanthropologist

 

Notable Culture:

• • Sigmund Freud

• Dawson’s Creek

• The Wind in the Willows

• • Agatha
  • Cinderella
  • Pluto the Dog
  • Fraggle Rock
  • John Hughes
  • Joshua Jackson
  • Varsity Blues

• The Collar of the Cloak Around the Mountain, my first piece of Dawson fan fiction

 

Notable Talking Points:

• I thought I was trying to fall asleep here
• Feelings that are just there
• We may share some things in the deep dark night
• I really just want to get the sleep I need or desire
• Sharing a general sensibility around sleep and its challenges
• You deserve a good time at bedtime
• A winding down kind of good time
• I guess that was a Freudian slip
• The creaky side of Dawson
• I guess I live in the bend in the willows before Dawson’s Creek
• Is this Fanthropology?
• I’m not even a good fanthropologist
• I think this fanthropology is a good idea for an episode…
• Where’s the guru?
• I develop a rapport by you slowly not listening to me
• You might not want to pay attention to anything I’m saying
• The eras of Dawson’s Creek
• Believe it or not, there’s no pressure to fall asleep
• I’m just here to be your borefriend
• Explaining the show structure
• Humor from the pre-humorous era
• One day I’ll be funny
• Familiar and comforting, but fresh!
• The intro is meant for you to wind down
• On the creaky side of something…
• A Trending Tuesday style episode about…fanthropology?
• Thanks for stopping by
• Agatha is here to take over the substitute podcast class today
• A short version of Agatha’s existence
• Cinderella’s stepmother
• I live in a different realm, of course
• He’s like a juggler who’s trying to juggle 12 balls on his fifth day of work
• I’m a teacher now
• Also, I’m now a sentient pool of lentils
• I know nothing about Dawson’s Creek
• Van Der Squeak
• Let’s begin with a summary of Dawson’s Creek
• 6 seasons
• Dawson, Joey, Pacey, Jen
• Kevin Williamson created it
• The show was filmed in North Carolina but set in Massachusetts
• A flagship show for WB
• Dawson Leary, an introspective aspiring filmmaker
• Her best friend Joey
• Scooter says Plutonic, not platonic
• A plutonic relationship with Pluto
• Pacey is an underachieving class clown
• The love in my life is the Letterman, but this isn’t about me
• Oh btw, it’s not normal to be a pit of lentils even in my realm
• I used to be first advisor to the queen
• Talk about plasticity
• Even if you become a pit of lentils, you have to be resilient
• Am I a pit of lentils because of Fraggle Rock
• Scooter does love a sentient lump
• Jen moves from NYC to live with her grandparents
• A show about teens dealing with teen stuff
• Scooter will never do a watchalong of Dawson’s Creek because it would ruin the phrase
• Describing seasonal arcs
• Season 1 
• Similar to Archie, Betty, and Veronica
• Homages to classic John Hughes movies
• Season 2 – the sophomore year 2nd half
• Not a lot of quality parenting going on
• Very Disney-Esque
• Love triangles and rekindled romances
• Dawson dates Pacey’s sister
• 5th Season, they head to LA
• Dawson goes to USC
• But Joey, Jack, and Ben go to Boston
• Pacey was adrift (on a yacht)
• 6th Season – Dawson moves to Boston
• He works on a film that echoes his life
• Pacey works as a stockbroker
• Wandering into Dawson’s Creek as a fanthropologist
• I see a creek
• A bog and a watering hole
• In the distance is the ocean
• Three people sitting on the rolling green hills
• Just chilling in the grass
• A central figure in the center
• Is that storm in my heart?
• Imagine we’re looking at a painting
• Holding Dawson’s hand is a woman with long hair
• Is she sitting or standing up?
• Pacey looks up
• Is his stiffness natural or enforced?
• Not far from the picnic ground is a watering hole
• I mix up Pacey and Joey
• There’s just something about Joshua Jackson
• A picnic with Pacey
• Bunny rabbits are painted not far from her
• Is there any other animal symbolism in this painting?
• A kitty cat is taking her friend for a walk
• We’re in the gathering phase of fanthropology
• A peacock-like character
• Some sort of waterbird
• There’s nothing foul about waterfowl
• Off to the side is a relaxing pheasant
• A three-headed bird talking to a frog
• A unicorn fish is next to the frog
• I’ve never seen that before
• Oh, I just noticed something else in the painting
• Some sort of spoonbill
• Another flying fish in the water
• A rooster fish? A rooster swimming?
• A duckbilled platypus is reading a book. But also it has a fish body
• Who is the platypus in the world of Dawson’s Creek?
• Frogs entering their frog houses
• A very regal bird
• A black bird is looking at something…Pacey’s feet?
• As a fanthropologist, you can’t take a literal meaning from anything, even nonliteral things
• Are Pacey’s feet touching Dawson’s robe?
• Let’s keep collecting data
• A fruit tree with 4 kinds of fruit
• Let’s move beyond the foreground
• A creek feeds the river feeds the ocean
• Dawson’s Creek probably flows to the sea
• Teeming with activity and life
• Very dreamlike forest friends
• Like if a bird and a balloon merged
• A gourd crossed with a duck
• A turtle and a sponge mixed together
• Wading out of the water
• I can picture the cast of DC lying on these rocks, soaking in the sun
• More imaginary friends
• I would never be cavalier about a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
• All breeds of animal drinking water together
• The wonderful side quest of Dawson’s Creek
• Does this cabin represent the room within Dawson?
• The Unseen Depths of Dawson
• Looking out a window is a very powerful owl
• I think JVDB was in Varsity Blues
• An island of discarded shelves
• Various States of Flowering
• Hedgehogs and a quill buddy
• I wonder what these birds represent
• A parade of crow-like birds
• Maybe we’re moving in the wrong direction of the painting
• The birds are moving away from Dawson
• Beyond that is…the sea, I think
• A dreamy range of mountains
• Some Wheat Coloring
• What kind of cloak is that around the mountain?
• The Collar of the Cloak Around the Mountain, my first piece of Dawson fan fiction
• Are those birds plutonic or platonic?
• A leader birds guide others along
• Does every bird need a leader?
• Wait, are these even birds?
• They could be feathers or leaves
• A Great Gathering of Birds
• Feeling the Shoulds of Teen Life
• A representation of the confusion of being young
• What is love? What is amour? What is agape?
• Living before a watering hole, full of life
• The owl must be curious for knowledge before it gains wisdom
• A foundation of things once discarded
• Independently Amateur Fanthropologist
• It is my curiosity that will bring me knowledge
• Within each one of us is a palace
• Thank you for joining me tonight