Making of Otter Things 1 & 2 | Bonus Fav from Behind the Vault

Episode 1274 – Making of Otter Things 1 & 2 | Bonus Fav from Behind the Vault

 

[START OF RECORDING]

 

SCOOTER: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and friends beyond the binary, it’s time for the podcaster, patrons…I’ll be honest with you; one half of…I’m wearing shorts, and one-half of my…one-half of one-half of my shorts, or a quarter of my shorts, are wet or damp, only 'cause I got splashed. Or, no, I was carrying something that I washed. It wasn’t splashed; it was wet. I was carrying it next to me, kinda like being splashed. But I’m gonna splash you with lulls, patrons, and you splash me with kindness and support so I can be here on a regular basis. Thank you so much for that, and what do you say we get on with the show?

 

INTRO: [INTRO MUSIC] Hey, are you up all night tossing, turning, mind racing? Trouble getting to sleep? Trouble staying asleep? It’s time for 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. So, it could be thoughts you’re thinking about, thoughts, things on your mind, feelings, any emotions coming up for you, physical sensations. It could be anything, a lot of different stuff. You know, that’s…stuff; holy cow, it’s always there and sometimes it’s stuffed up in there.

 

So, whatever it is that’s keeping you awake, I’d like to take your mind off of that, and the way I’m gonna do it is I got this nice, safe place all picked out. It’s all set aside for you. You could pick out your part of the safe place, and you don’t even have to pick it out, actually. You could just lie there and be like, yeah, somewhere over there. Can you imagine that? That could be a new kind of…Sleepy Movers. Now, just hear me out. It’s probably the wrong time to talk about this so I’ll try to come back to it, Sleepy Movers, because I better explain what the podcast is to the newest listeners. Welcome. What I’m also gonna do in addition to taking this safe placing and letting you arrange…have me arrange it for you is I’m gonna send my voice across the deep, dark night.

 

I’m gonna use lulling, creaky…lulling, soothing, creaky, dulcet tones, pointless meanders, superfluous tangents. I’m gonna go off topic. Oh boy, am I gonna be…I’ll be off topic and then I’ll be back on topic, and then I’ll be off topic again…superfluous…what did I say? Pointless meanders, superfluous dialogue, extra words, sleepy moves…I got…the only moves I got are sleepy. You say, all those…Scoots, so you’ve been working on your moves, huh? Oh boy, have I. Oh yeah, Scoots has got moves, the moves that put you to sleep. I say, well, those moves weren’t intended to put anybody to sleep. Those were supposed to be my…I had my fancy moves, my hot moves, my smooth moves. None of those put you to sleep to…? Oh, boy. So, okay, what’s…?

 

Pointless meanders…oh, all to take your mind off of stuff and be here, actually, to keep you company while you fall asleep. Now, if you’re new, a couple things to know. One, I’m glad you’re here. Two is this podcast normally takes two or three tries to get used to. A recent reviewer said one or…somewhere be one and four times. Give it one or four tries. The reason for that…one, is if you’re listening to a sleep podcast, you’re probably naturally skeptical and doubtful about it. You say, hm, what is this you’re getting me into here, or what are you really up to? So, there’s that, which is totally normal. If you’re doubtful or skeptical…I’m a skeptic most of the time, except when I’m that other thing, gullible. Most…well, I guess most of the time I’m gullible, but the rest of the time…I’m skeptical because I’m so gullible. Talk about a paradox.

 

I’ve been working my whole life to try to get outta that. Maybe today’s the day. I say, you know what? I’m gonna be open-minded but with limits. I guess that’s where I’m striving for. So, there’s a problem solved. I mean, maybe. But…oh, so you’re…I’m here to help you fall asleep. So, if you’re doubtful or you’re not sure, this podcast is very different than everything out there, so give it a few tries and just see how it goes. I will tell you this…what was I gonna tell you? I forgot. Oh, so if you’re new, a couple things to know other than this podcast is strange; one, this is a podcast you don’t really listen to. You kinda barely listen, and you kinda do that by just saying, hm, okay, I’m gonna pay attention here for a few minutes and see how it goes. Well, he’s kinda not talking about anything.

 

Maybe I don't have to pay…so, you kinda let it bounce off your ears or let me kinda go out of focus. Just kinda barely listen, kinda like this moving sleep company I’m coming up with next. So, there’s that. So, don’t…it’s a pod…the one podcast you don’t listen to. The other thing is this is a sleep podcast but believe it or not, it’s more here to be here while you fall asleep and to take your mind off of stuff. My job is to walk at your side and kinda distract you while you fall asleep or while you drift off. I guess another part of my job is to ease you into bedtime, which kinda segues nicely into the other thing that new listeners can find a little bit off-putting…I guess would be one way to say it…is the structure of the show.

 

The show starts off with a greeting; ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and friends beyond the binary, because I’m so happy that all of you are here and I want you to feel acknowledged and seen and know that your sleep is important to me. Then we go into business, and the business is what enables us to bring you the podcast for free, so that’s cool. Then after the business, around six or eight minutes into the show, we go into the intro, and that’s where I ease you into bedtime. This could throw some people off because the intro’s around…it goes from around minute six or eight to around twenty or twenty-two-ish. I say…when I say ‘ish’, I mean pretty…I always shoot for…to shut the recorder off at eighteen minutes, but you never know what’ll happen, where my meanders will take us.

 

Nowhere, mostly, but on a journey to nowhere. So, sorry, I went off…so, the intro…the whole idea of the intro is it’s really long. So, initially you say, what do you mean the intro’s eighteen minutes long? It doesn't really make any sense. I’d say, exactamundo, as the Fonz says. But really what the intro…the purpose the intro serves is…I’m laughing just 'cause my words were out of order there. If my words were a machine, they’d always say ‘out of order’. You’d say, is that a out-of-order sign because your words don’t work? Your word machine doesn't work? No, no, it’s just a heads up that any words coming out of my word machine will be out of order. But so…oh, so the intro is so long and meandering…one, the show has an intro to greet you and to kinda let new listeners know what’s coming up and what to expect.

 

It also kinda gives you a overview of what the show will be like overall. But also, for regular listeners…the regular listeners…believe it or not, 98% of regular listeners listen to the intro or fall asleep as the intro goes on because it’s part of their bedtime routine. It’s part of their wind down. Because if you’re listening to the show, you’ve probably faced some kind of sleep issue before, and for most of us, it hasn’t been an easy thing to fix, and we’ve tried the easy stuff or the magic stuff or the stuff that you pay money for, and none of that really has worked well, or at least hasn’t worked instantly. Anything that’s been part of a slow and steady thing usually works better. So, the intro’s kinda that in a microcosm. It’s a slow and steady journey into bedtime. It’s a slow wind down.

 

So, some listeners…if you become a regular listener…some listeners start it before they get into bed, as they’re getting ready for bed, either on their sleep phones or their headphones, or there’s just their phone in their pocket or their smart speaker. You don’t even have to be in the same room as me to not listen to me. That’s how convenient this podcast is. You could say, well, I can almost hear Scoots down the hall, and just barely hear him over brushing my teeth and washing my face, doing my skincare routine. Then I’m gonna balm my elbows, kiss my shoulders, maybe give my biceps a little pecky-poo, and I can almost hear him before that smooching, between the smooches on my biceps. So…and so…and then some listeners start the podcast as they get into bed and start their wind-down routine or their bedtime routine.

 

So, the intro just kinda eases you into bedtime. Then after the intro will be business. That’s just kinda podcast structure, then there’s a story. Tonight it’ll be our first episode of our new episodically modular serial story, Otter Things. That’s O-T-T-E-R T-H-I-N-G-S. So, that’ll be fun, and it’s gonna be a nice story about otters and other creatures that live together in a swamp. I mean, talk about bedtime material. Then there will be some thank-yous at the end of the show to say goodnight. So, that’s the structure of the show. Those are the kinda things to know. But yeah, to come back to that image of…the idea of the show is like, what if there was a moving…? This would be the moving service I would offer, so hear me out.

 

Now, it would take…we would have to have a magic-user on staff or some powerful stuff because…you say, okay, so tell me about this Sleepy Movers. I say, okay, well, one, we’re licensed and bonded, totally…doubled-licensed, double-bonded, triple-insured, so don't worry about that. We got all the accreditations. We even got an accreditation from the ROYGBIV Institute, 'cause Scoots invented that anyway. That’s more for holiday lights to make sure they follow the ROYGBIV protocol. Anyway, so, yeah, it’s a moving service where you go to sleep and we move your stuff while you’re sleeping. You might say, including me? We say, that is an offer in our package, that, yeah, we’ll move you and your bed, totally…don't worry; we have all the technology to make it 100% totally dreamy and comfortable.

 

Yeah, we do have a hyperbolic thing, so it’s like, if you’re going across the country, totally, we could…you could sleep for a few days if you like. Some people do it…that’s just a bonus. They say, wow; I slept for a week, too, and I moved and I woke up and everything was moved. It’s more…a lot of people think it’s a gimmick but the one thing we’re known for is arranging stuff while you sleep. Now, we work out a plan ahead of time, but we’ve also figured out a way to basically communicate with you while you’re sleeping to move your furniture and lamps and stuff around. It kinda goes like that; you just say, uh-huh, uh-huh. No, no, no, over there. No, up…no, that’s crooked. Please…okay, perfect. Okay. No, no, no, now let me see how that looks over there. Okay, turn it to the left. Okay, back to the right a little.

 

Oh boy, that’s good. Okay, now just fix the lampshade. Now fix it a little bit more. Okay…okay, wait, now turn it back a little. Okay, good, good. Okay, now…no, wait…okay, push it back one…no, now…okay, good, good. Alright, now over there, I want that vase moved over…uh-huh. Oh boy, uh-huh, uh-huh. So, that’s kinda how it goes and believe it or not, it actually works. Now again, we have a magic-user on staff and we do…we have lasers. A lot of it’s laser-based and technologies from alternative universes that we’ve acquired, and multiverses, tranverse…we do a lot of the moving on the transverse plane, but you’re gonna be sleeping through all that anyway. Yeah, just go, uh-huh, uh-huh. Believe it or not, then it’s stress-free 'cause you don’t even have to think.

 

When you wake up, you say, okay, that’s pretty much how I wanted it. If you say, well, I’d like to move that back…we say, okay, we’ll do it for you, or you could go back to sleep and we’ll do it. It’s taken some adoption to get it on board. We had…we can't tell anybody that we have a magic-user anymore. Or, only on this podcast, but other…on our main marketing. Also, it’s an imaginary service at this time, so that’s why it’s…that’s when it’s really working good, is when you imagine it. You say, oh boy, yep. Oh boy, yep…no, no. Okay…no, I want…put them…you’re gonna put all my socks in a drawer; great. Yeah, no, no, I like the ones…the tube socks go with my tube tops. Yep, mm-hm, and my Hanson DVDs, 'cause I like to say ‘tube top, top, top, tube top.’

 

Yeah, that was…I know that’s not what that song is, but I always used to sing it that way when I had a tube top on and tube socks. Okay, good job. Thanks. You can even tip us while you’re asleep, and then you can re-check it when you’re awake. You say, okay, well, 22% is…I’m gonna lower it to 20%, but you did a good job. So, that’s one of the services we’re offering now. Really…we’re really happy and proud to be doing it in your…in my imagination and possibly yours. But I think one day it’ll take off, once we get the magic-user down and the transporting of you and your bed and all that…parts, and the subconscious communication or effective subliminal communication. I don't know if that’s what it is, 'cause it’s kinda like you’re actively participating. So, we’re working on it. I mean, not really.

 

I always just imagine…I say, well, hopefully my imagination will do the hard work, iron out all those things. Then years later I’ll say to my imagination, so, how’s the plan for that moving…? Oh, I haven't worked on it. Okay, well, I’ll imagine you did. You say, agreed. Good work. So, that’s another thing to expect during the show, a pointless meander like that. The last thing I’m gonna tell you is the reason I make the show. One is because I’ve been there and I know how it feels in the deep, dark night, tossing and turning and having trouble getting to sleep. So, that’s one thing. Then the second thing is I believe…I know you deserve a good night's sleep and a place of respite, a safe place where you can lie down and relax without the rigmarole of having to go to bed and the non-fun part. Now, I can't promise to make bedtime fun.

 

I can only promise to make it, eh, not bad. You say, well, it’s not as bad as…when Scoots is there, going to bed is like, eh, it’s that thing, you know? Not bad. So, yeah, that’s why I make the show. You do deserve some rest and the world, your world and our world, will be a better place when you’re rested. So, if you’re new, please give the show a few tries. It’s free, so just see how it goes, and if it works for you, great. If it doesn't work for you, check out sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou. But I’m glad you’re here. I really work hard. I really yearn and strive, and I really want to help you fall asleep. So, thanks again for coming by, and here’s a couple of ways we’re able to bring you this podcast for free.

 

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, friends beyond the binary, all my patron peeps, it’s Scoots here, and this is something not just a little bit different, patrons. This is something totally different, though it’s still here to put you to sleep. This is gonna be a little mini-series that’s exclusive to Patreon only, and actually just certain tiers on Patreon just 'cause of the ability…well, I’ll kinda explain all that. But this is gonna be a little mini-series because our…the series that I’m working on — and I’ll have these come out right around when the episodes are coming out — is something a little bit different, and I thought maybe we could make a making-of or a making-as series just for patrons to have a peek into the creative process, particularly when I’m doing something that’s a little bit different this time, and I’ll kinda explain that really briefly.

 

But it’s also a time…I want to make sure that all my freelancers are still having work or even extra work to do on the podcast, so that’s a part of putting it out at a $10-and-up tier, is that I know I can pay the editors to work on the show. But also it’s to add value, 'cause right now Patreon is really bringing the podcast free to everybody more now than ever, and that’s not any pressure on you as a patron. You don’t have to stay a patron. The podcast is out there for free, too, and you can feel free to cut back at any time. But I thought this would be a unique way to say thanks and then kinda see if this works, and maybe going forward, this could be a way that you get a extra episode or two a month that’s very, very exclusive and that wouldn't work in the free feed, I don't think. Initially I’m shooting for about thirty minutes.

 

There won't be an intro in these episodes, and we’ll kinda see as we do a couple episodes if we…like, be like, oh, if we put it out twice a month at thirty minutes versus once a month at an hour, which will work better? So, that’s a little bit of heads-up. So, this is…I don't even know what to call these. So, right now, to give you a bookmark, I’m recording this on a Sunday and I’ve been writing for our new series, Otter Things, O-T-T-E-R T-H-I-N-G-S, for about a week and two days. So, nine days. Ideally I’ll record the first episode on Thursday or Friday of next week, so in about five days or something. This series is a little bit different 'cause the whole idea was…that came up on a intro one time was like, what if…?

 

So, there’s a TV show…and don't worry; this is gonna be sleepy, but there’s a TV show called Stranger Things, and there was also a kids’ holiday special when I was a kid called Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas. At one point, once upon a time in the podcast, I posited what if that was a mash-up, Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas and Stranger Things? But then I had to think very creatively of like, well, what if instead of a mash-up it was strongly influenced by those two things since I can't…I don't have the rights to any of the characters on any of those shows? What if there was a show very much like…The Simpsons does this, that was called Otter Things? O-T-T-E-R…I think that’s how you spell Otter Things. I did have the idea for this and I said, I don't know if it’ll work. I don't know.

 

Then I finally said, yeah, let’s move forward with this. I like the idea. Before I started rewatching…which…we’ll kinda go through my re-watch of the TV show, and…don't worry, in a sleepy, meandering way. I did find my main character which is kinda the important thing, and her name’s Emma Otter, E-M-M-A Otter. So, once I had the main character and I kinda said, okay, Emma Otter, I like her…and then it was kinda just playing around and saying, okay, what would…? Just blue sky, just kinda trying to get to know Emma Otter’s voice. Not so much her spoken voice but who is…what’s she like, you know? She was gonna parallel a character…of course she was gonna parallel Mike, 'cause Mike’s kind of…well, not the central figure of the TV show or the streaming…the show.

 

Mike…I don't know, Mike does…I don't know, Mike is kind of a little bit of a fulcrum on the show. Then I was also thinking about, well, how would I make this work for spoken-word? Then I was waiting for the production schedule to open up and be like, okay, let’s start making this. So, I didn’t have…other than daydreaming, I don't really have any pre-prep time 'cause I was writing Get Besos, Season 3. So, then as soon as Get Besos, Season 3 was done, literally the next day from…after recording it, I started watching the other non-Otter Things show in bits and taking notes. So, I’m gonna kinda run through my notes here. I’m not fully-complete writing my first episode, so this will be part TV-recap and part looking at what I have so far.

 

I guess it would be a spoiler for the series, but I don't think…with Sleep With Me, this would more…give you even more insight, I guess, 'cause the episode’s not finished writing. So, the show opens November 6, 1983 in Hawkins, Indiana. We see a night sky. The camera pans down to a laboratory. We see the halls, we see lights, we see sounds, we see a science guy going…we see something sweet or sweat…pressing the elevator button, a freight elevator, waiting, breathing…looks up, and then he has some toast. He says, well, I’m gonna have some toast right now. Then we see a house and we see some kids playing a…DnD. Mike is the DM. There’s kind of anticipation. Mike is a very good DM, so he’s building anticipation for the demi-gloss. Like, does this double-reveal…? Everyone has reactions.

 

There’s a lot of character revelation very quickly that’s established of what Mike’s like, what Dustin’s like, what Lucas is like, and what Will is like, just by their reactions. You can see a lot about…oh, a troglodyte; that was the other thing. But you could see a lot. You get to know a lot about them and their relationship. Told ya…wait a second…oh, this is when Mike’s doing the reveal. Something else…the demi-gloss…then we get to learn about Will and a little bit of a theme of protection versus fireball…yelling…while the boys are having fun, they spill the dice. Mom says, what’s going on down there? It’s 10:00 or something. Yeah, it’s a school night. You’ve been playing for ten hours. Then we see a pizza box. Time to go…we see a older…Mike’s older sister on the phone. Dustin offers her a slice of pizza…a slice left.

 

The door closes. Lucas, Dustin, and Will get on their bikes. I guess we learn…I put ‘Steve Harrington’ here. I don't know where that…what that’s from. Oh, maybe…oh, they were talking about Steve Harrington, the boys. We see Will has honesty; he tells…so, we get even more character revelation as Will is honest with Mike. The boys go their separate ways while Dustin…Dustin has…quite the mouth on Dustin. They’re racing on bikes. Then we cut back to the lab. There’s some sound effects. Oh, we just cut back to the lab quick, then Will…I thought Will…Will’s light battery dies on his bike. He parks his bike and he says, I’m gonna take a refreshing walk home. He walks all the way home, closes his door. The phone rings but it wasn’t…he was expecting one of his friends to call, maybe. It wasn’t one of them.

 

Then he says, I’m gonna walk out back and get some air, maybe do some yardwork. So, he goes out into their little back storage area, and then Will says, you know what? I want to go…I think I want to go somewhere…I think I want to visit the transverse plane, and Will does that. Then they…we see the title, Chapter One, The Magical…The Magic of Will Byers. Then we have another very revelatory scene. We see a house, a bedroom, a radio. It’s messy. There’s beers. There’s somebody passed out on the couch. They’re smoking. A cold water shower, maybe? Smoking more…taking some medicine…has a beer…breakfast…looks in the mirror. We realize that he’s an officer…also leaves the TV on. We get another kinda…that the rain or a storm is coming.

 

Then we’re back, then we’re at another house, and mom, Joyce, she can't find her keys. She’s trying to get breakfast ready. She has another son there. We learn that the other son is working. Where’s Will? Did he sleep over at one of his friends’ house? She calls Mike’s house. She can't believe her other son’s working. We see Mike’s house; Mike and his sister are having trouble getting along. Then we go to Hawkins High Middle School…Hawkins High and Hawkins Middle School, we see. Bikes are parked. No Will. Will’s not there. That’s weird. Then we meet some antagonists who are not nice to the boys…gives them nicknames. We learn, I think, that Dustin is double-jointed, which they say is kinda like a superpower. Then we meet Barb and we meet Nancy kind of on her own for the first time. She’s made out with Steve.

 

She’s got a note for Steve. Then they go in the bathroom and make out. Steve’s trying to get her to hang out with him tonight and she’s kind of saying, no, I gotta study. She’s a serious student, but we also see she’s into him and she wants to study. Then we go to Hawkins PD. The character we saw is still smoking. They call him Mr. Charming and hey, Chief. Somebody’s been taking garden gnomes. But he’s not into it. He says, I need coffee and contemplation time. Then we see Joyce. As the chief operator, you’ve been playing hooky. Or, no; he says Will’s…he goes to Joyce. He says, Will’s probably playing hooky. We learn about them 'cause she says, he’s not like most. Not like we were. He doesn't even have good clothes. He’s a sensitive kid. Her ex, we learn, is Lonnie. Then…what does this say?

 

Owl attached…Eleanor…owl attached? Eleanor…I don't know. I don't know. So, I don't know what this says. Then we meet Dr. Brenner who shows up in a car with a bunch of cars and suits and stuff. They suit up. They go into a snowy indoor room with a snow machine. There’s lights. There’s carbon scoring like from Star Trek, and there’s goo. There’s goo or goop. Then they say, and the girl? Can't have gone far. Then we see a barefoot, young girl. She’s in a gown. Her head is shaved. She sneaks into a cafe. The cafe is run by somebody that at times has listened to Sleep With Me podcast, a good friend, Mr. Sullivan. We see a little small-town slice of life. We see this girl is hungry. She gets caught by Mr. Sullivan. His name’s…forgot his name in the show. It’s a cool name. Benny, I think, maybe. Then we see the school.

 

Then I took a break and I said, things to think about; what does Hawkins equal? Then I kinda maybe…a refuge? What does Hawkins Lab equal? Well, maybe some sort of visitor center or a care for beings…do the 1990s equal…do the 1980s equal the 1990s? What does DnD equal? Mike equals Emma Otter. Then at this point I just put Will, Dustin, Lucas, demi-gloss…what are the procedural elements? Find Eleven and find a clue. What does…? Oh, then we go back to the play. The teacher…the boys are with a teacher. They get a ham radio. There’s Hawkins AV Club, then the Hopper…Chief Hopper shows up. He tells the boys to speak one at a time. We hear about Mirkwood; that’s one of the places…the boys talking lore. The boys want to help and he says, no, you can't help.

 

‘Cause they say, well, if Will went to a transverse plane to do yardwork or whatever, we want to help. No nonsense…Mike is a little down. He says, do I make myself clear? Then we have a flashback; Castle Byers…Radagast is the password, I think. We see mom; she has movie tickets. She’s a great mom. Then mom and Will’s older brother are there, and there’s wind blowing. Then we’re back at the cafe. Benny is with Eleven eating. He’s very nice. He learns that she’s…goes by Eleven 'cause she has that on her…written on her. He asks for help. Eleven fixes a squeaky fan, so we see she has powers. I was trying to figure out what Eleven’s powers will be in this show or the Eleven equivalent. We see Chief taking some more medicine. He finds a bike where Will decided to go for a walk.

 

Then, this is some dialogue I wrote; hi, I’m Emma Otter. This is a story about me and my friends and the place we live. I’m in the eighth grade in human years. You could call where we live a refuge, but we call it home, or our town. So, sometimes I meld stuff. I’ll just write down dialogue 'cause it’s important to capture for me. Then we learn that the lab has everybody’s phones tapped. Then I put, is this human or human and animal for my story or just animals? Joyce can't stay calm on the phone. She’s trying to get Lonnie to talk to her. Hopper comes to her house. He looks around. He says, it looks like Will was gonna do some yardwork. But he also sees goo or goop, and anybody that’s seen the movie Dustbusters knows that probably means that Slimer’s around or something.

 

Electro…then they have a…they say, let’s have a walking party. We’ll all walk. Mike says, we should be out there walking for Will. So, there’s…I guess it’d be this theme about authority figures and parents not understanding. We see Nancy and Steve in love…or, Nancy and Steve…love versus Mike. No one cares about…that’s where Will says, parents just don’t understand. Then we see Hopper and the teacher trying to find Will. We learn a lot about…a little bit about Hopper’s backstory. Scott Clark, Miss Ratliff…is Sara, who was a part of Hopper’s backstory…loved space and science and lives in the city in the…yeah, with…and then Will calls Lucas. Lucas, do you copy? Say ‘over’. We gotta do…and then he says, listen, I’ve been thinking about this; Will cast fireball, not protection. He did not go…take the easy road.

 

He took the protection for the group. He did what was best for the party. Lucas says, meet me in ten. Then we see Nancy and…oh, Steve comes in through the window. We learn kinda that he’s dislikable. At first he’s not very likeable, I guess you’d say, I guess at all. Then we see Eleven and Benny smiling. There’s a knock at the door. We get maximum Modine and…but Eleven still gets outta there. Then boys on the bike…go back…stay close. Stick on Channel 6…the storm has come. Dustin’s not big on it. Nancy and Steve…Nancy has flash cards. Nancy’s very intelligent. Steve is very persuasive. Music plays a part. But I put question mark, question mark equals question mark, question mark. Nancy also says, I’m not Lori, Mary, or Becky, yo. I’m Nancy Wheeler.

 

Then we see Will’s mom and brother going through pictures and having feelings, a lot of feelings. Then the phone buzzes and there’s static on their phone. Then there’s words and rain. The boys are in the rain, not getting along. We’re going to the same spot. They hear a sound, and there’s a kid in the rain. It’s Eleven, and she’s in the rain. I think that was it for the episode. So, then I ran through again…I didn’t have any answers. Mike equals Emma Otter…Eleven, Will, Modine, Hopper, Dustin, Lucas, Nancy, Steve, Joyce, Joyce’s son whose name I’ll know later; don't worry. What animals? Is Steve gonna be a possum? Modine’s definitely a fox. Is Will a porcupine? Who’s a beaver? Who’s a muskrat? Hopper would be a bullfrog.

 

Then I did some 1991 research. These are just some songs right now. Baby, Baby; Amy Grant. Rush, Rush; Paula Abdul. Right Here, Right Now by Jesus Jones, Long something…Good Vibrations by Marky Mark. Let’s see…Set Adrift on Memory Bliss, Motownphilly…movies that came out that were popular; T2, Robin Hood, Beauty and the Beast, Hook, the Clarice story, JFK, Addams Family, the movie with Nick Nolte and Robert De Niro, Hot Shots…maybe part deux. City Slickers, Prince of Tides, Fisher King, Thelma and Louise, Point Break, Addams Family, Defending Your Life, What About Bob? TV shows; Urkel…that was…Urkel was on Family Matters.

 

Oh, Blossom, Salute Your Shorts…Katie Couric started on Today, Simpsons, Aeon Flux, Darkwing Duck…oh, other songs; The Globe…oh, Full House, Doogie Howser, Growing Pains…but I think that had been on for a while. Murphy Brown, Designing Women, Golden Girls. Okay, then we get back again. Emmet Otter equals Mike. Will is a beaver named Willow. Lucas is a porcupine named Elijah or LJ. Dustin; a muskrat named Vaughn, maybe V for short. Hawkins equals a refuge…a swamp refuge. Nancy’s also an otter. Maybe her name’s Dari. Steve is a weasel named Tefe, maybe? Modine; a fox. Mitchell…Hopper; a Bullfrog, Leon or Bull. Joyce is a beaver named Francis. That’s a tribute. So, some of these are tributes to people. Okay, then I sketched out again the kinda plot pacing of the episode.

 

So, there’s the lab, then there’s DnD, Nancy…bikes…Will…whatever, Slimer from Dustbusters…the mystery…open…meet Hopper…no Will. Mom and Jonathan…school…no Will. The not-nice kids…we meet Barb and Steve. Hogger and Joyce at the station…no one seems to care. Lab…mystery…see Modine, the girl. Oh, then I just realized that Mike and Joyce are the ones that share the action belief that they should take action, 'cause maybe Will got goo on him from Slimer. Eleven in the woods…goes to the diner, eats. AV Club fun…Hopper shows up. Hopper talks to the boys. Chaos…we will help. No, you won't. Old fort flashback…Eleven has powers. A storm is coming. Then I went back to my notes again. So, a procedure…there could be…what is it? Parents, authorities just don’t understand.

 

Could another procedure for the Sleep With Me episode be Eleven needs a snack? Where is Will? Is Will hiding? Then it was like, okay, what are the goals? There’s also…this starts to formulate this idea of them preparing for winter in the refuge, all of the animals. Could there be a similar theme like in DnD? What I thought was important was that Will cast protection versus fireball. In our story, if there’s a snack thief, would it be…? That could be not good for our refuge, 'cause every family has to store food for the winter. Reality is the snack thief is only the tip of the iceberg, much like on the show. So, maybe it’s…the game’s called Bards and Big Bunnies. Will kind of lacks some confidence and courage and decisiveness.

 

So, in BnB, Will chooses to kind of get to protect…to lure the bunny away from taking the snacks from the refuge. I’ll just get her outta there. Okay, and then the open, again, is like, I’m Emma Otter. Emma explains the normal world, who the players are maybe as it unfolds, and resources, setting up the mystery, but also soothing. So, I’m talking to you right now about something that happened a long time ago. Explains the refuge, how it’s cool and a bit boring. It’s the early fall season. Okay, and then we needed some stuff that fits this broader idea. So, the edge of the refuge is a place they can't go. Maybe there’s a road and a tunnel under the road, and maybe another swamp beyond with some buildings. That would be…there could be noises from the road and the other buildings. There could be rumors.

 

The tunnel could be the place where, in this story, Will went to the other swamp under the road. Maybe there’s gates for the tunnel or water…you know, that lets water in and out. They could also meet Eleven emerging from the tunnel, in this case, to their swamp. Yeah, and the refuge extends. In the other three directions, it’s just swamp and swamp and swamp, endlessly. But they have borders, but the road is the one border on one side of the refuge that’s not natural. It’s someplace the kids always go and look and listen, but they don’t go anywhere beyond there. Maybe this could play with the kids that aren’t nice somehow, like the quarry did. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me tell you about my friends. So, is Nancy…do we need to combine Nancy and Steve? That’s another note.

 

Let’s see, Emma…intro’s mystery…it’s gonna be okay, though. The bunny’s…this whole idea of the food and winter, BnB, Willow heading out, the lab mystery set-up…we meet Hopper. We meet Francis and Nicky. That’s Will’s brother. Where’s Willow? We go to the school and meet the not-nice kids…Steve, Barb, and Nancy. Bull and Francis; don't worry. Let’s see, I got a couple more pages. So, we play a game — oh, this is more dialogue — pretty much every moment we can. It’s fun, it’s creative, and so much more. Math, music, and theatre of the mind. It’s called Bards and Bunnies. It’s a musical roleplaying game. There’s two key elements you should know about; one is music. I’m from a family of musicians, and music is a very important thing. You might have heard of the Song of the Swamp.

 

It’s a big part of how we communicate and tell stories here. In the game, it’s also how magic and power and problems are solved. The other element in the game is big bunnies. You might laugh and say, big bunnies, how cute, or, big bunnies in a swamp? But in the story of our swamp and in the story of the game, big bunnies are a part of the lore. ‘Cause you see, every family has to prepare for the winter and they all had to store their food. If there was a really long winter, everyone would have to rely on one another. But everyone relying on everybody preparing for the winter…so, the whole community was interdependent on preparing, yadda, yadda, yadda.

 

But if someone came in, particularly a big bunny, and ate all of the winter storage, it wouldn't be good for the entire community. So, a rarity like a big bunny would be quite a threat. So, in the lore of the game, the big bunny is…could come to your swamp and take all of your resources. Oh boy, is that the truth, and that’s the last line from Emma Otter I have written. So, that’s just a little preview and kind of a little look into the week of work I’m doing, and we’ll kinda see how it goes. This will be a little mini-series and for the time being, it’ll come out every other week just like a bonus episode. So, thank you so much for your support, and goodnight.

 

Alright, hey patrons, it’s Scoots. This is our mini-series, our test mini-series, patron-exclusive, behind-the-scenes, behind the production of our series, Otter Things, O-T-T-E-R T-H-I-N-G-S. I guess it will have spoilers but you’ll be spoiled in a good way, 'cause you’ll say, well, that’s why…this is what Scoots was working on. So, this is like a pre-commentary. Usually at the end of the season I do one commentary. But this mini-series, it’ll be a little bit shorter episodes. I’m shooting for about thirty minutes, no intro except for this, and maybe I’ll try to talk even slower than normal. I don't know, every time I remind myself to do that, then I’m like, oh, this is my normal pace. But so, yeah, I’m gonna be talking about Episode 2. To put you where we are in the process, today is Wednesday. Today is Wednesday.

 

I believe I started recording on…I mean, I recorded the last episode on Friday maybe last week, maybe Saturday. Oh no, I did it on Friday 'cause I wanted to put it off ‘til Sunday. I remember making a lens video. But I said, well, we have Friday scheduled to record it. I just wanted to polish it a little bit more. I said, well, that’s probably not good for our schedule, Scoots, and probably not the best thing for you. I sat down and recorded it, and it went well. Actually, as a part of this pre-commentary, I listened to the episode yesterday and took notes, and as a part of…and that’s kinda new to do it at this stage in the writing process for Episode 2. So, I’ll kinda walk you through the work I did and then we’ll delve into my notes. This is always the first creative thing I work on every day, is our ongoing episodically modular series.

 

So, this will give you even more behind-the-scenes. Actually, a little bit of personal behind-the-scenes I’ll even give you since you support the show, and maybe this…something will resonate with you. I’ve talked about this in other places…is I find that having a morning routine is a very essential part of my wellbeing and my nighttime ability to sleep most of the time. So, I’ll tell you exactly my morning routine and my morning work routine, and it has changed a little bit. I’ve actually just been more…my normal routine hasn’t really changed except for one part is maybe a little bit longer, or two parts now, because I don't have the driving to school…but also because I had fallen off those things. These are positive habits. They’re easier to fall off than negative habits.

 

So, here’s what happens; I wake up, right, and normally…well, usually I wake up two or three times towards when I want to actually wake up, and I try to go back to sleep. Then I’ll say to my smart speaker…I don't have any clock in my room except for my phone, which is put away. So, I say to the smart speaker, what time is it? I say, please tell me it’s eight-and-a-half hours or nine hours after I’ve tried to fall asleep, because I’ve learned from tracking my sleep that, yeah, I toss and turn. So, if I’m in bed trying to sleep for like, eight-and-a-half hours to nine hours, I can almost get eight hours of sleep. So, then if it’s time…I say, okay…or I can't fall back asleep or it’s the time I wanted to be up, I say, okay…the first thing I do is I open my blinds. Usually I close my window 'cause I’m cold.

 

But I open the blinds and it might be foggy or the sun might be out already, and that’s just a part of my morning routine, is to get immediate light. It helps me wake up and it’s…all the studies say it’s really good for your sleep cycles. The next thing I do is because I’m in recovery, I read some stuff about recovery and the process of staying sober…is the next thing I do. So, I do a couple reflections on that, 'cause that really is one of the foundations of my day, is taking things one day at a time. Then I meditate after that, and I do use a meditation app. There’s a lot of good ones out there. Right now, since my daughter stays home from school and she usually sleeps later than I do, I meditate for ten minutes. I do a ten-minute daily meditation in the morning. I also do one at night.

 

After I meditate, I will…ideally I’ve been…I want to journal and stuff but then I start to get…lately that has not been part of my morning routine…or write down my dreams or do morning pages. But I fell off of all that probably before the holiday season, and then it’s just been tough for me to get back on it because, you know, I haven't…just haven't been able to carve out that time. Also, at some point I gotta visit the WC and say, hey, WC, good morning. So, after I visit the water…that’s water closet. Then I normally figure out my coffee situation, which in the past few months, I’ve switched…now I drink both cold-brew and hot-brewed coffee. Just 'cause my routine was so disrupted, I have not been able to keep a steady supply of cold-brew brewed.

 

Again, this is just stuff we’re getting adjusted to, and this is in…this is the last day of April when I’m recording this. Then I do yoga. So, I have coffee. I do watch the local news while I do yoga. Probably not the best idea, but it’s reassuring to me to check in with all that, and the local news…I get to see what the weather is. I get to check in on my faves. I also am two-timing my…I have two morning news teams I switch back and forth between. Sorry. But I won't say anybody’s names. I do fifteen minutes of yoga, which is more than I used to do. I used to do between…during when things were…I would do between five and ten minutes of yoga or stretching. Now I do, most likely, fifteen minutes. I just do half of a yoga…thirty-minute yoga routine, which again, probably not the best idea 'cause then the next day I start it at fifteen minutes.

 

But I do a little warm-up if I gotta start in the middle of a video. So, there’s that. Then I go to work, and I probably switch to a little bit of national news. Again, this is just my thing, and then I turn it off. But I will drink more coffee. Maybe it’s hot coffee, maybe it’s cold coffee, and I’ll start replying to all the e-mails that came in since the last time I started returning e-mails. I thought this was gonna be about…we’ll get to the notes, though, but…and I have a philosophy. It’s not…this is one of the more difficult parts for me, not replying to listener e-mail, but there’s just…you never know what you’re gonna get in your e-mail and some stuff is just…more like…I don't usually procrastinate on listener e-mail, but there are other e-mails either that are higher-intensity or more work-related or someone asking for something that I want to say ‘no’ to and I haven't figured out how to word that correctly.

 

Those are the ones I kinda procrastinate on. But I have a thing called e-mail plus one. That’s my daily goal, is to get through the entire day of e-mail at a couple different stages throughout the day, plus one e-mail that I was procrastinating on, ideally not from yesterday but from weeks or months ago. That’s an easy goal not to always achieve but to say, okay, I’m not gonna try to overwhelm that little kid part of me. Just do e-mail plus one, and then when it’s like…my temptation is, okay, let’s just reply to this e-mail. Let’s not skip it. Let’s just get it off our plate. I don't always do that. Literally every day, it’s a process of little failures and little victories. Then after I get the e-mails done, then I start writing. So, then I shut off the TV.

 

Usually I don't even have music playing, and then I start working on our ongoing episodically modular serialized series, which in this case is Otter Things. So, Saturday was the first day I did that. So, for Saturday, I watched half of a episode, Season 1, Episode 2, of the show…one of the shows that’s the biggest influence of the series, and then I did the same thing on Sunday. Then on Monday I kinda started breaking out the plot of the episode that I watched and reviewing my notes and distilling down what were the characters and their journeys throughout the episode? What were the main plot lines? Then, Tuesday I was doing that and kinda saying, well, okay, let’s see what our characters will be doing.

 

If that’s what the characters in the show were doing, how does that translate over with some of the characters, and what are gonna be the other tougher ones? Which we’ll talk about. Then Wednesday I was working on that again and listening to the episode, Episode 1. Then today, Thursday, I was breaking down what was the more…the most difficult stuff that didn’t directly translate from the streaming show, the show, to our series just 'cause of character differences and motivation differences and stuff like that, and just stuff I was like, well, I don't know if this quite fits our version, our parody or whatever, tribute or mash-up. So, let me see. So, let me go through all my notes and I’ll make them sleepy. So, this is from the watch of the show. It starts with a stormy storm and the outside shot of the house.

 

Then we see Eleven’s in a jacket. The other kids are very…being very caring, but they’re asking tons and tons of questions nonstop and also making guesses at what’s going on with Eleven. Eleven does not like the storm. We see some kind of cultural differences with Eleven and the kids and that she’s a fan of night-lights. I guess I’ll put it that way. Then the guys are alone and they’re talking back and forth. Will says, don't worry, we…Will? No, no, not Will. Mike says…oh, no, no, then they kinda go back and forth between…well, who is she? Where did she come from? What does she want? Lucas is very…the voice of the goal. He’s like, well, our job is to find Will, our friend. This is a parent’s job.

 

Which, again, I don't think…I don't know if it was…I haven't rewatched…I mean, I’ve rewatched Season 1 a few times for pleasure but I haven't don’t an intense rewatch to see, is this a thematic thing? But it is in Season 1 and…or Episode 1 and 2, of like…as I said last time, parents just don’t understand, or authority figures, in Joyce’s case, just don’t understand. Joyce is saying that…seems to be saying that, too. So, I don't know, thematically that’s also a conflict in the show, of like, hey, we should tell our parents, and Mike saying, no, no, no. But then in this one, he says, well, I have an idea of how to tell. I got a plan; we’ll help El tonight and then El…we’ll tell…go to my mom tomorrow. But also, it feels like…Dustin, Lucas feel like Mike is over his head. Then we have Mike and Eleven alone talking about names.

 

Eleven, El…that’s your name. Goodnight. Goodnight, Mike. We see El’s face, then Chapter 2, On Maple Street…The Person on Maple Street. Then we kinda see the…where Joyce, Jonathan, and Will live, some scenes of the outside, somebody working on the phone lines, and then we see Joyce. We see Jonathan kinda being…trying to take a parental role and say, hey, mom, have something to eat. Here’s the things; okay, okay. Then Hopper comes, and again, we go through this trust, a little bit of trust. They talk about the phone, and again, Hopper is speaking. Now, I guess we kinda see through the journey that I don't know if Hopper’s just speaking more from his role than from his heart about…well, Joyce, this is what I think, this is what I think. She says, well, put yourself in my shoes.

 

Again, a little bit of trust. Lonnie comes up and we see Hopper’s still kind of needing external help himself. Then Jonathan says, let me go to Lonnie’s. Again, he says…kid, let the authority figures handle it. Then we see Eggo waffles, Mike and his family…Mike’s eating fast. He kinda calls out Nancy. Nothing…that was funny. We see Eleven and a walkie-talkie. Signal weak…breakfast…then Mike says, you gotta go…after this, you gotta go to my door and tell my mom and pretend you just came over. She says, no, no, no. Mike says, no? She shakes her head; no. She says, this is…capital T, rhymes with P, then it stands for ‘pool’. I’m talking about the game billiards, not a swimming pool. She does the swim…the pool-shot move. Mike’s late for school.

 

Then we see at the lab that they have all the phones tapped, that they didn’t realize everything. They’re surprised. They say, Will’s out on his own hero’s journey, too? What? Nothing…Joyce…some…oh, that’s with the Chief and everybody out looking. School…we see Barb, Nancy, and Steve…party time. No parents. We see Jonathan who’s down. Nancy’s nice to him. I’m sorry. Everyone’s staring. I’m sure it’s gonna be okay. There’s a bell. There’s a chemistry test which I thought was just brilliant. Like, a tiny thing with Steve and Nancy. I don't know, just a brilliant thing to toss in there. We hear about an assembly. We see Dustin and Lucas in class, and then Mike’s not there. Again, Lucas says, we’re here…Will is my friend, not this other person. So, he’s very adamant. We find out Mike is skipping school. Him and El hang out.

 

He’s got a 22-inch TV, family photos…Nancy, El thinks, is pretty. Parents…La-Z-Boy…you could definitely see the influences I think that other people talk about…other movies. Trust me, okay? Mike says, fun, right? Then we see Jonathan. Music plays a big part in this episode. He’s in his car thinking, determined, then there’s…he flashes back to him and Will listening to music and the dad kinda just being not as present and disappointing Will and Joyce. No show…Lonnie. Lonnie’s a bum. Then also, Jonathan, being this true mentor, almost…I mean, the greatest brother anybody could have had, I mean, in some sense in these…I mean, this whole series. ‘Cause not only is he teaching Will about cool music; he says, you know what? You shouldn’t do things to make people like you or because people tell you to.

 

Leaning something…I don't know what that says. Church bell, birds…downtown…oh, Lonnie…I don't know. Joyce goes through the bushes. We see again the storm. Or, maybe she’s talking about it. She wants another phone. $22.56. She says, are you kidding me, Donald? I’ve worked here so long; ten years. This kind of really felt like in a positive way…this time watching it — I mean, maybe it’s just my awareness now — it’s like, wow, Joyce really represents a hard worker and the struggle of the hard worker and the dignity, and then saying, hey, treat me with some dignity and respect here, Donald. I’ve given you a lot. So, I don't know, I was impressed with that. Two weeks’ pay, the phone, and some candy stuff. Then we see the phone company…no, it’s the lab. They…all clear. Modine…they look around the area, in the shed.

 

Extraordinary. Mike and Eleven play with some toys. Yoda, Force…Eleven likes the trophies. Science fair, friends…she sees Will. She knows him. Mom pulls up. Mike says, play hide-and-seek. She says, no thanks. He says, please. We see the papa, papa, copper…then mom says, you know, Mike, you could talk to me. Parents do understand. Then Mike says, I don't know, mom. He goes back to Eleven. She says, I didn’t like…I had a thought about papa and copper. Mike says, don't worry. She kinda says, promise, I think? Joyce and phone…we see kinda how Joyce…things aren’t easy. Even connecting the phone isn't easy. Again, a little moment that I said…the plugging in of the phone, that that just didn’t…I’m like, wow, what writing and directing and planning to even have a little struggle in that scene that kind of shows Joyce’s character.

 

I mean, I’m really learning a lot. Then we see them looking at the place where kids…the swimming hole, Benny’s Burgers…we learn the Chief was once a big-city cop. Benny was his friend. Then we go out to, whatever, River City or a big city. Jonathan…dirty kinda…dirty house, but not like super-dirty. Gum-chewing, MTV-watcher opens the door. Jonathan scans the house. Lonnie rolls up on him. Gotcha. We see…oh no…oh, he says, you’re stronger now, kid. Come here. Jonathan does not want any closeness with Lonnie. Then we see Lucas and Dustin and Mike. Like, what are you thinking, man? He says…they’re like, she knows about Will? Then Lucas…many times, again, Lucas is a very important character representing this friendship viewpoint and a strong version of it.

 

So, he kinda represents that against…what about…what are you up to? Then again, maybe this isn't…I don't know, without Lucas…and Dustin offers a lot, too, but Lucas counters Mike in a way that then leads them to solutions, I think, without…I don't know, very nuanced. No wonder the show’s so successful. No, no, no…Plan A; tell your mom. Then we see Eleven’s powers and she says, no. So, then again, you have a third viewpoint. Almost…Dustin could be our viewpoint or another kind of…trying to compromise. Then we see Lonnie and Jonathan. No trust…again trust comes up. Lonnie…not a…he’s…thinks everything’s a joke. He says something about Hopper, tells Jonathan to move to the city, says not nice stuff about Joyce, and Jonathan rolls out.

 

Hopper’s looking at these other mysteries that have cropped up with Benny and a kid and food. A different kid or not? Could be. Even the person they’re interviewing says, could be Lonnie’s kid. Could be. Nancy and Barb are on the phone. Quiet…Dustin and Lucas…special assembly…oh, yeah…oh, everybody’s at dinner. Eleven’s walking around. Then there’s kinda more of figuring out Will. They find a gown. Eating meatloaf…again, we see more of Eleven’s superpowers. We want to find our friend. What is a friend? Lucas kinda talks about spit swears and never breaking your bond. Tell each other things…Barb and Nancy…Barb says, no, don’t…let’s not party. Nancy says, we gotta party. But you could be my party guardian. Then they show up and Steve says, hello, ladies.

 

Then Hopper wakes up. He’s thinking and saying, geez, I got bad luck, I think. That’s what it is. So, we see that what he was saying to Joyce isn't actually what’s in his heart, or it’s already changed over the episode and the episode has changed his feelings. El sits at a table. The Dungeons and Dragons board, she flips it over. Did you see him on Mirkwood? She puts his thing in the…the thing, which again, this will develop more, and then she puts the big bunny on there. Then we see Jonathan in his car. He does some looking. He starts taking pictures. Where are you? Then he hears a pool party and he sees Steve’s having a pool party that he wasn’t invited to. We see Nancy and Steve kind of…their flirtiness going up.

 

We see Barb is in a really tough spot, and we’ve all been there in this kinda tough spot where it’s like, I don't want to be here but I want to be a friend. Also I’d like to let myself go and join in, but I don't want to join in. So, I thought that was really good, and I think probably…maybe that’s part of why everybody had such strong feelings. Like, where’s Barb? Jonathan’s taking pictures of the pool party, then we see this great scene with Joyce and another phone call and Joyce being aware…her instincts…it’s beyond what her instincts are, but there’s also this really important scene because Will’s trying to communicate with her through electricity and stuff. Or, everything’s trying to communicate with her.

 

At first Joyce goes out of the house, but then she sits in her car and she realizes the stakes, and she finds this internal strength and courage and she goes back into the house. Again, these little things that you say, whoa, wow, storytelling-wise…this was these guys’ first series. Anyway, then they go…so, there’s just…really important…even though Joyce’s story was…I don't know. This was a really big…and again, Winona Ryder’s an amazing actress. So, it was the combination of all that. I don't know, when I’m picking it apart, I’m like, holy cow. It was quite a arc. Then the pool party…towering off. Where are you going? Barb’s kind of, again, trying to be this voice of…for Nancy. A lot of Barb’s advice ends up being correct. Then Jonathan…more pictures, and Steve and Nancy do some smoochy-smooching.

 

Jonathan’s taking more pictures. Barb is kind of contemplating things. She says, well, I’ll go…I’m gonna take a big trip. So, she says, I’m packing my bags and taking a big trip. Jonathan leaves 'cause his camera ran out of film. We see Steve and Nancy and we realize, okay, Barb went on her own trip. She went on her own journey. Okay, so then I kinda ran through again…okay, we got the boys and Eleven. What’s the plan? Who is she? What’s wrong with her? This is breaking up the…we have Joyce under stress, Hopper…trust with Lonnie, trust with Jonathan. Eleven and Mike…don’t tell your mom. Let’s find out about Will. Searching party tonight…trust me, Barb. Jonathan, Joyce, Lonnie, and Will…music…Joyce gets now phone and money. I don't know, I really like that scene, too, for Joyce’s assertiveness. Lab, question mark?

 

No trust…Lonnie, Jonathan…I don't know what that says. Looking…oh, looking around. Lucas and Dustin versus Eleven…powers revealed. Eleven and friends, question mark? Barb and Nancy…Hopper down. Will and the bunny…Eleven shows this…Joyce with the phone and the light communication. I mean, initially…she…it’s the beginning of a mystery. Steve and Nancy, Jonathan, Barb, and bunny…so, after that, I said, okay, Eleven…powers…tension…where’s…versus where’s Will. Nancy…tension with Barb versus Steve and the cool kids. Nancy pushes her own limits. Jonathan and Will…love…Lonnie’s a bum. Jonathan; trust me…or, Joyce, trust me, adults. I’m gonna figure this out. Show me some respect. This is not easy. I’m gonna figure…I’m gonna find…I’m figuring this out.

 

Hopper…huh, something’s not right here. Lab, what? Oh, wow. Then these are notes from…mammals versus non-mammals, question mark? What is she really, question mark? Then I kinda…the hardest thing was…because I don't have a Jonathan and the Steve character is actually Mike’s brother in this…our story, and Will’s sister, Willow’s sister, is the Nancy character…she also kinda has to play the Jonathan character, and trying to figure that out is…it’s easier from a storytelling perspective for a sleep podcast. Then it adds to new creative decisions, so it’s kinda interesting. So, it’s like Willow versus Tefe. Who wants to party? This is serious. Otter needs to swim, baby…kinda Tefe…was there something with Tefe and Uncle Emmet? Is Uncle Emmet playing some sort of father figure?

 

Then again, the idea of the Jonathan and Joyce arc in this episode and the Lonnie arc…I was…at first I thought I was gonna get rid of Lonnie, but then I discovered that Lonnie’s probably a necessary step on Dari’s journey. So, it’s like, Dari and Francis…how does Steve and Hopper fit into all this? Then I was just trying to connect all the dots. You got Tefe, you got Emma, Barb…Dari is kind of at the middle of all this. We got Willow, you have Francis…is Uncle Emmet…is that a thing? It didn’t end up solidifying for me, Uncle Emmet. Then I went to…a little bit easier to track, at least from the episode, is like, okay, found Platy, Billy…what do we do? This would be if it was scene for scene. Billy is different. Emma cares…has a plan. Goodnight. Time for plan? No. Not a good idea. Oh, okay. New friends…no plan…fun.

 

What do we do about the flashbacks? Mom’s here. Emma…friends are not okay with this. Willow…no versus…no Lucas in the story versus Eleven’s no. Powers…we’re still not okay with you, kind of from Lucas’ standpoint. I know Willow. Bunny goose? So, that was that one, then Francis and Dari…and this one…well, we’ll get to it. So stressed, mom. Let me help. A little bit of trust…goose chase…I’m not sure it’s even a goose chase. Them saying, well, it’s not that big a deal…Joyce, Francis saying, I will wait by this phone. I need a phone, money, a little bit of trust…in the center of kind of all of this is the fact that Francis is the good parent, or Joyce. Wait, something is…I’m trusting my gut here. Another phone out. This is something beyond normal and not easy.

 

I need some extra courage, but I will face this because I know what I want, or I’ll try to understand it if I can't face it. Then this is where…yesterday and today’s writing, is like, okay, Tefe, Dari, Barb…field party? Is it Tefe’s friend? Tefe wants to hang out. Dari obviously is more thinking about Willow but is also curious. She likes Tefe. Her friend is not so sure. Another question was like, do we need Barb? What should we do about Barb? Yesterday and this morning…I was like, no, not a party. What about a road trip? Then it was…a fundraiser party; that was another idea. Then I was like, oh, well, Tefe could borrow the family car and then they could try to go to…at least…at first it was like, oh, the dad’s beaver’s lodge…see the Lonnie character. Then maybe Barb’s like, this isn't a good idea. Does a guardian…does Francis…?

 

Then I was like, oh, wait a second, what if it’s Barb and Steve or Barb and Tefe, in this case? Then at the same time, Dari’s facing her father. Then, what are Dari’s limits that she’s pushing or rediscovering? How does music play into all this with pop songs and radio? Is Dari’s magic…? Or, I mean, this goes to another subject, but it’s like, does magic play out as music in this…our series? So, that was yesterday’s notes. Then it’s like, Tefe party; no. This is…so, this is Tefe and Dari. What about a fundraising party? No. Well, what about a road trip? Well…this is Dari proposing it; well, I could get a car. ‘Cause she really says, well, I want to go see and check in with my father. Barb is maybe more of…Tefe…likes Tefe, too. Then I realized, oh, wait a second, this is a double-play.

 

So, Nancy, Dari, is playing Steve, Tefe, to get…use him to drive her to the thing, and at the same time…at least to initially create some stuff, Steve, Tefe, actually…Dari thinks Steve likes her, but really he likes Barb, the Barb character. Also, I think it’d be good for this one if there were some echoes between — whatever the dad’s name is — Lonnie and Tefe. It won't be Lonnie in our show, but…who’s on the road trip? Is it the two cool kids and Tefe, Dari, and Barb? So, yeah, does Dari play Tefe, convince him to drive? That’s kinda led into today. So, it’s like, okay, this is maybe Dari’s…she’s thinking about Willow. Her mom’s under stress. She also has a crush on Tefe a little bit. Her dad’s a bum.

 

Does she…but she really is wondering…from the first episode, like Leon said, or Bull, what if Willow just did start her career and went out on the road? Would she go to her father who’s a busker? Do you want to party? Barb is gonna come, too. No…I don't know. Okay, you talked me into it. Don’t go…how would you…how would we get there, anyway, to go to your dad’s? No party, no fundraise…but you have a car. We could go on a road trip, right? Road trip…deal with dad, leave Tefe alone with Barb, then there’s this double…Barb and…this is a spoiler, I guess, but Barb…I mean, it’s not 'cause I record in another ten days, but…or a week? But yeah, maybe those…so, Barb and Tefe get together. Dari’s not…she’s unhappy with her dad and Tefe at this point.

 

But again, we have to get to something more, so it’s like, okay, I’m gonna drive 'cause I’m not happy. You two just sit in the back. I don't know what happened to the other two kids, but I’m here…so, she’s almost taking on a Lucas-style thing of like, well, Willow’s what’s important, not Tefe and not Lonnie. Then parks…Tefe maybe also feels…knows…say, hey, I owe her an apology. Then that’s when Barb goes out on the road. Then the last thing I came to this morning was just questions about Francis, Joyce, of like, okay, where does Francis work? What are the powers that Francis is observing? Then I said, oh, okay, music, wind chimes versus the lights and the power at the…in the regular episode. Is it a phone that’s the issue? What does she do to comfort herself? What music is she into?

 

Is she into hip-hop or punk, or what is Francis really like? That’s where I left off with my writing. Oh, 'cause I have two…yeah, I guess…no, yeah, that’s it. I have a tiny bit of notes from the first episode. Episode 1, Radio Show, 1991. Duffer refuge…Hanson town…River Bottom. Emma…parents…baby brother…Tefe. Who’s Emma’s best friend? Willow, Dari, Francis…Big Bunnies and Bards…music…stronghold of nuts…sound funnel…Chief…resource team, Chief Bull…37:61 into that episode. I wanted to cut out some stuff about technology 'cause it’s like, okay, wait a second, I’m kind of just exploring some of the…like, oh, where is this? Willow head out on her own…goose chase…out on the road as a bard. Otter Things…Billy, Sullivan, phones…fox, Max Modine. Got them…quiet boats…pancake o’clock…Emma in room…double-dare…tin-can phones…double bait…high-talk words. Then that’s it. So, thanks and goodnight. Thanks, patrons.

 

[END OF RECORDING]

(Transcription performed by LeahTranscribes)

Behind the Scenes / Subscriber Summer

 

History of Moving Companies

https://www.transtarmoving.com/do-you-know-the-history-of-moving-companies/

https://internationalvanlines.com/the-history-of-the-moving-industry/

https://elitemovingandstorage.com/a-piece-of-history-who-were-the-first-movers/

 

AV Club

https://futurism.com/the-av-club-imdb

https://chicagoreader.com/news-politics/news/a-farewell-to-the-a-v-club/

https://www.nathanrabin.com/happy-place/2022/7/7/what-the-hell-is-happening-over-at-the-av-club

 

1991 in Music

https://blog.roonlabs.com/44-days-in-91/

https://www.radiox.co.uk/features/1991-was-actually-the-best-year-for-music/

https://www.loudersound.com/features/grunge-alternative-rock-1991

 

Morning Routines

https://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2018/05/30/the-importance-of-establishing-a-morning-routine/?sh=27bbcb4f2c31

https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-lifestyle/sleep/how-to-establish-a-wakeup-routine-for-a-good-morning-every-morning

https://www.wellandgood.com/morning-routine-better-sleep/

 

DOWN TO BUSINESS

A quarter of my shorts are wet

Splashing with Lulls

 

Deep Dark Night United

n/a

 

PLUGS

SWM+, SleepPhones, Rusty Biscuit Links, Emily Tat Artwork, NAPAWF, Anti-Racism Resources, Ukraine Relief, Crisis Textline

 

SPONSORS

Claritin, Helix Sleep, Odoo, Air Doctor Pro, Zocdoc, Progressive

 

INTRO

Stuff, holy cow, it’s there

You can pick out your part of the safe place

Sleepy Movers

The only moves I got are sleepy (even though it’s unintentional

Give it 1 or 4 tries

I’m either skeptical or gullible

I’m skeptical because I’m so gullible

Open-minded, but with limits

My job is to walk at your side and distract you

I aim for a specific time, -ish

On a journey to nowhere

Exactamundo

If my words were a machine, it would also be out of order hahaha

A slow and steady journey into bedtime

You don’t even have to be in the same room as me!

Hearing Scoots between the smooches on my biceps

Our new series Otter Things

Back to Sleepy Movers

We would need a magic user for this to work

Double Licensed, Double Bonded

And accredited by the ROYGBIV Institute

We move your stuff while you sleep, potentially including you

You can sleepily tell us how to decorate, too

Laser-Based Moving

We do a lot of the moving on the Transverse Plane

It works really great when you only imagine our service

Tube socks go with tube tops and Hanson DVDs

I can only promise to make your nighttime routine not bad

 

STORY

Exclusive to certain levels of Patreon

A peek into the creative process

Making more work for our freelancers

I’ve been writing on Otter Things for about 9 days

I’ll record episode 1 soon

I don’t normally do mashups

A mashup strongly influenced those shows (I don’t have the rights)

Emma Otter, I like her

Emma is a fulcrum for the show, like Mike

I didn’t have a lot of prep for this

Running through my notes of watching Stranger Things

I guess it’s a spoiler, but it’s also insight

1983 Hawkins, IN

This guy in the hall is going to have some toast now

Mike is a great DM

Revealing the demi-glace

A lot of character building through reactions

I’m not sure why Steve Harrington is here

Mike’s mom says it’s time to call it

Quite the mouth on Dustin

Cutting back to the lab

Will takes a refreshing walk home

Will gets some air and does some yard work

Will decides to visit the Transverse Plane

Another revelatory scene

Smoking and cold water showers

We realize he’s an officer

At another house, Mother Joyce can’t find her keys

Where is Will?

Cutting to Hawkins High and Hawkins Middle School

Antagonists give nicknames to the boys

Meeting Barb and Nancy on their own

Making out with Steve in the bathroom

Nancy wants to study but she’s also into him

Cut to Hawkins PD

He wants isolation

Is Will playing hooky?

Will is a … sensitive kid

Lonny is her ex

Owl Attached Eleanor?

Dr. Brenner shows up in car and suits

An indoor room with a snow machine

Goo or goop everywhere

The girl can’t have gone far

A barefoot young girl in a gown

The cafe is run by Chris Sullivan, who’s listened to SWM in the past

What is Hawkins? A refuge

What is the lab? A visitor center?

What are the procedural elements?

The boys are with a teacher, talking HAM Radio

AV Club

Hopper won’t let the boys help

Flashback to Castle Byers

Denny is very nice at the cafe

What should Eleven’s equivalent powers be?

Sometimes I’ll just write down some dialogue

The lab is tapping everyone’s phones

A slimer friend must be around somewhere…

A scene about how authority figures don’t understand

Parents Just Don’t Understand

Some of Hopper’s backstory

Max Modien rolls up to the cafe

Nancy is intelligent, Steve is persuasive

??=???

Will’s family is having some feelings

The boys aren’t getting along in the rain

They meet Eleven in the rain

What animals could they be?

Modine is definitely a fox

Some 1991 music research

Popular movies from 1991

Popular TV of 1991

Will is a beaver named Willow

Some of these names are tributes to people

Mike and Joyce share the belief of looking for Will

Bards & Big Bunnies (B and B)

Lure the bunny away from taking snacks for the refuge

Crafting Emma Otter’s opening

Soothing – this happened a long time ago

A road that it’s hard to cross

Swamp in 3 directions

Do we need to combine Nancy and Steve?

The Lab Mystery Setup

Breaking down the structure

Math, Music, and Theatre of the Mind

The song of the swamp

Big Bunnies (not cute)

A little preview of episode 1

Episode 2

A pre-commentary

Maybe I’ll try to talk even slower than normal

A personal behind the scenes

A morning routine is essential for my sleep

First thing: Open my blinds, close my window

Reading some recovery materials

Using a meditation app for 10 minutes 

I haven’t been able to do morning pages lately

Good morning, WC

Figuring out my coffee situation

My routine has been disrupted so I haven’t had enough cold brew

I’m recording this at the end of April

I watch 2 different morning news shows

15 minutes of yoga

Replyign to emails can be tough in the morning

You never know what you’re going to get email-wise

Email Plus One

Breaking down the episode over the week

Watching through Episode 2

Starts with a stormy storm

The kids are caring but asking a lot of questions

Cultural differences between Eleven and the boys

She’s a fan of night lights

I’m just realizing this theme of “Parents just don’t undersand”

Mike has a plan for Eleven

Cutting to the Byers household

Jonathan tries to care for his mother Joyce

Hopper comes

Going through some trust issues

Hopper speaks from his role, not from his heart

Lonny comes up

Hopper needs help, himself

Mike gives Eggo waffles to Eleven

They didn’t realize Will is out on his own hero’s journey, too

Barb, Nancy, and Steve are gonna party

This chemistry test placement is brilliant

Mike isn’t at the assembly

Mike is playing hooky with El

You can definitely see the influences of certain other movies

Music plays a big part in this episode

Jonathan is such a great brother / mentor 

Joyce is frustrated at her day job

Joyce represents the struggle of the hard worker

Modine inspects some sheds

Eleven knows Will?!

Mike won’t talk to his mom

Lucas is a great character

He represents a strong friendship POV

A very nuanced friendship

No wonder this show is so successful

Dustin represents compromise

Lonny isn’t very nice

Nancy and Barb are on the phone

Barb doesn’t want to party

Barn can be Nancy’s party guardian

Hopper has to trust his heart with Joyce

El looks at the DnD board

Jonathan learns about the secret pool party while he’s taking pictures

Barb is in a relatable tough spot

Will is trying to communicate with Joyce through electricity

Joyce finds internal strength and courage

It’s so impressive, especially since this was the Duffers first show

And Winona Ryder is great

Barb’s advice ends up being correct

Nancy and Steve smooch

Barb decides to take a big trip

Breaking down the storylines

What’s the conflict of each story beat?

Steve is Mike’s brother in our story

A few less characters is helpful in our situations

Lonny is a necessary element for Dari’s journey in our story

Who is Uncle Emmet in our story?

How do we deal with the flashbacks?

The Goose Chase

Frances / Joyce is a good parent

Tefe, Dari, and Barb are at a … field party?

What should we do about Barb?

What about a road trip?

Maybe Tefe actually likes Barb in this version?

Tefe / Lonny mirror vibes

Arguing about a road trip

Taking on Lucas-Style Thing

Where does Frances work? What is her experience?

Christmas lights become wind chimes?

Some notes from rewatching Episode 1

 

SWM+ THANKS

n/a

 

SUMMARY:

Episode: 1274a / Bonus

Title: Making of Otter Things 1 & 2 | Bonus Fav from Behind the Vault

Deep Dark Night United: n/a

Plugs: SWM+, SleepPhones, Rusty Biscuit Links, Emily Tat Artwork, NAPAWF, Anti-Racism Resources, Ukraine Relief, Crisis Textline

Sponsors: Claritin, Helix Sleep, Odoo, Air Doctor Pro, Zocdoc, Progressive

SWM+ Thanks: n/a

Notable Language:

• Splashing with Lulls
• Sleepy Movers
• Exactamundo
• A slow and steady journey into bedtime
• Double Licensed, Double Bonded
• Laser-Based Moving
• Transverse Plane
• Tube S
• ocks go with Tube Tops
• Emma Otter
• Troglodyte
• Owl Attached Eleanor?
• Parents Just Don’t Understand
• The Lab Mystery Setup
• Math, Music, and Theatre of the Mind
• Email Plus One
• Party Guardian
• Goose Chase
• Lucas-Style Thing

 

Notable Culture:

• Happy Days

• Otter Things

• • ROYGBIV Institute
  • Hanson – “MmmBop”

• Stranger Things

• Emmet Otter’s Jug Band Christmas

• Get Besos

• Chris Sullivan
• Amy Grant
• Paula Abdul
• Marky Mark
• Jesus Jones
• Bell Biv Devoe
• Dungeons & Dragons
• “Should I Stay Or Should I Go?” – The Clash
• Winona Ryder

 

Notable Talking Points:

• Stuff, holy cow, it’s there
• You can pick out your part of the safe place
• Sleepy Movers
• The only moves I got are sleepy (even though it’s unintentional
• Give it 1 or 4 tries
• I’m either skeptical or gullible
• I’m skeptical because I’m so gullible
• Open-minded, but with limits
• My job is to walk at your side and distract you
• I aim for a specific time, -ish
• On a journey to nowhere
• Exactamundo
• If my words were a machine, it would also be out of order hahaha
• A slow and steady journey into bedtime
• You don’t even have to be in the same room as me!
• Hearing Scoots between the smooches on my biceps
• Our new series Otter Things
• Back to Sleepy Movers
• We would need a magic user for this to work
• Double Licensed, Double Bonded
• And accredited by the ROYGBIV Institute
• We move your stuff while you sleep, potentially including you
• You can sleepily tell us how to decorate, too
• Laser-Based Moving
• We do a lot of the moving on the Transverse Plane
• It works really great when you only imagine our service
• Tube socks go with tube tops and Hanson DVDs
• I can only promise to make your nighttime routine not bad

• Exclusive to certain levels of Patreon
• A peek into the creative process
• Making more work for our freelancers
• I’ve been writing on Otter Things for about 9 days
• I’ll record episode 1 soon
• I don’t normally do mashups
• A mashup strongly influenced those shows (I don’t have the rights)
• Emma Otter, I like her
• Emma is a fulcrum for the show, like Mike
• I didn’t have a lot of prep for this
• Running through my notes of watching Stranger Things
• I guess it’s a spoiler, but it’s also insight
• 1983 Hawkins, IN
• This guy in the hall is going to have some toast now
• Mike is a great DM
• Revealing the demi-glace
• A lot of character building through reactions
• I’m not sure why Steve Harrington is here
• Mike’s mom says it’s time to call it
• Quite the mouth on Dustin
• Cutting back to the lab
• Will takes a refreshing walk home
• Will gets some air and does some yard work
• Will decides to visit the Transverse Plane
• Another revelatory scene
• Smoking and cold water showers
• We realize he’s an officer
• At another house, Mother Joyce can’t find her keys
• Where is Will?
• Cutting to Hawkins High and Hawkins Middle School
• Antagonists give nicknames to the boys
• Meeting Barb and Nancy on their own
• Making out with Steve in the bathroom
• Nancy wants to study but she’s also into him
• Cut to Hawkins PD
• He wants isolation
• Is Will playing hooky?
• Will is a … sensitive kid
• Lonny is her ex
• Owl Attached Eleanor?
• Dr. Brenner shows up in car and suits
• An indoor room with a snow machine
• Goo or goop everywhere
• The girl can’t have gone far
• A barefoot young girl in a gown
• The cafe is run by Chris Sullivan, who’s listened to SWM in the past
• What is Hawkins? A refuge
• What is the lab? A visitor center?
• What are the procedural elements?
• The boys are with a teacher, talking HAM Radio
• AV Club
• Hopper won’t let the boys help
• Flashback to Castle Byers
• Denny is very nice at the cafe
• What should Eleven’s equivalent powers be?
• Sometimes I’ll just write down some dialogue
• The lab is tapping everyone’s phones
• A slimer friend must be around somewhere…
• A scene about how authority figures don’t understand
• Parents Just Don’t Understand
• Some of Hopper’s backstory
• Max Modien rolls up to the cafe
• Nancy is intelligent, Steve is persuasive
• ??=???
• Will’s family is having some feelings
• The boys aren’t getting along in the rain
• They meet Eleven in the rain
• What animals could they be?
• Modine is definitely a fox
• Some 1991 music research
• Popular movies from 1991
• Popular TV of 1991
• Will is a beaver named Willow
• Some of these names are tributes to people
• Mike and Joyce share the belief of looking for Will
• Bards & Big Bunnies (B and B)
• Lure the bunny away from taking snacks for the refuge
• Crafting Emma Otter’s opening
• Soothing – this happened a long time ago
• A road that it’s hard to cross
• Swamp in 3 directions
• Do we need to combine Nancy and Steve?
• The Lab Mystery Setup
• Breaking down the structure
• Math, Music, and Theatre of the Mind
• The song of the swamp
• Big Bunnies (not cute)
• A little preview of episode 1
• Episode 2
• A pre-commentary
• Maybe I’ll try to talk even slower than normal
• A personal behind the scenes
• A morning routine is essential for my sleep
• First thing: Open my blinds, close my window
• Reading some recovery materials
• Using a meditation app for 10 minutes 
• I haven’t been able to do morning pages lately
• Good morning, WC
• Figuring out my coffee situation
• My routine has been disrupted so I haven’t had enough cold brew
• I’m recording this at the end of April
• I watch 2 different morning news shows
• 15 minutes of yoga
• Replyign to emails can be tough in the morning
• You never know what you’re going to get email-wise
• Email Plus One
• Breaking down the episode over the week
• Watching through Episode 2
• Starts with a stormy storm
• The kids are caring but asking a lot of questions
• Cultural differences between Eleven and the boys
• She’s a fan of night lights
• I’m just realizing this theme of “Parents just don’t undersand”
• Mike has a plan for Eleven
• Cutting to the Byers household
• Jonathan tries to care for his mother Joyce
• Hopper comes
• Going through some trust issues
• Hopper speaks from his role, not from his heart
• Lonny comes up
• Hopper needs help, himself
• Mike gives Eggo waffles to Eleven
• They didn’t realize Will is out on his own hero’s journey, too
• Barb, Nancy, and Steve are gonna party
• This chemistry test placement is brilliant
• Mike isn’t at the assembly
• Mike is playing hooky with El
• You can definitely see the influences of certain other movies
• Music plays a big part in this episode
• Jonathan is such a great brother / mentor 
• Joyce is frustrated at her day job
• Joyce represents the struggle of the hard worker
• Modine inspects some sheds
• Eleven knows Will?!
• Mike won’t talk to his mom
• Lucas is a great character
• He represents a strong friendship POV
• A very nuanced friendship
• No wonder this show is so successful
• Dustin represents compromise
• Lonny isn’t very nice
• Nancy and Barb are on the phone
• Barb doesn’t want to party
• Barn can be Nancy’s party guardian
• Hopper has to trust his heart with Joyce
• El looks at the DnD board
• Jonathan learns about the secret pool party while he’s taking pictures
• Barb is in a relatable tough spot
• Will is trying to communicate with Joyce through electricity
• Joyce finds internal strength and courage
• It’s so impressive, especially since this was the Duffers first show
• And Winona Ryder is great
• Barb’s advice ends up being correct
• Nancy and Steve smooch
• Barb decides to take a big trip
• Breaking down the storylines
• What’s the conflict of each story beat?
• Steve is Mike’s brother in our story
• A few less characters is helpful in our situations
• Lonny is a necessary element for Dari’s journey in our story
• Who is Uncle Emmet in our story?
• How do we deal with the flashbacks?
• The Goose Chase
• Frances / Joyce is a good parent
• Tefe, Dari, and Barb are at a … field party?
• What should we do about Barb?
• What about a road trip?
• Maybe Tefe actually likes Barb in this version?
• Tefe / Lonny mirror vibes
• Arguing about a road trip
• Taking on Lucas-Style Thing
• Where does Frances work? What is her experience?
• Christmas lights become wind chimes?
• Some notes from rewatching Episode 1