Editor’s Note 24

[Jeysie]

@cnranger

I’m not going to vote but I’m hoping Cult of Gruum wins, because man I’m still laughing about that one. Also I have no idea if that was in 2018 or not.

Right now it’s a good chance that for me The Director’s letter from the Shipping Editor’s Note is funniest and the Cult of Gloom’s parting shot in the Iron Legacy episode is saddest, but I’ll have to do some research on the other two.

For the episodes themselves, Funniest Episode is probably the Shipping Editor’s Note, Storytelling Episode is a tossup between Xtremiverse and the Radio Play, Audio Production is a tossup between the Radio Play and Something Wicked.

Worst episode is hard… like, I think the Food Podcast was probably the content I liked least, but the actual production values of them managing to improv 100% in character for over an hour without a single break in character is something I have to give props to as a former theater geek. The Legal Advice episode maybe… it also was a little bit weaksauce in content and didn’t have the flawless improv aspect to make up for it.

[The_Affable_Taffyman]

@Trajector

I don’t think you’ve run into a “wall of hostility;” you’ve rather encountered a moderately phrased opinion that it seems kind of strange for Christopher and Adam to ask us to give them awards. Nobody here has said anything specifically opposing the idea of recognizing the best questions from the community. Heck, nobody has expressed opposition to the idea of a poll on what our favorite episodes were, in order to give C&A feedback. It’s the awards for podcast episodes specifically that rubs some of us the wrong way. C&A themselves even leaned pretty hard into the idea that the awards are self-aggrandizing.

Jeysie, you said that you were hoping for this thread to take a different direction. Instead of criticizing some of us for the topic of our opinions, why don’t you go ahead and start that conversation you wanted to have? What’s your favorite listener question from 2018?

Unfortunately, my favorite things that I think of right away happened in 2017.

No, I’d say it was a lot closer to hostile than anything else. You are definitely doing some revisionist history if you think that what you said came across as moderate phrased opposition. Stuff that Platinum and Take said was moderate opposition, where they questioned the use of award as the term and what have you. You’re just straight up advocating “I don’t like the awards, so everyone should be arses if they aren’t completely onboard too!” Its a goof that is called an award because its being announced during what is typically award season and to make it as over-the-top as possible, for what is basically a listener poll. Taking it so personally that it used a word you dont like and so we should trash the whole concept is just childish. And while you certainly walked it back a bit here, you can still get criticized for wording it so poorly initially.

Now then, favorite listener question? Undoubtedly my legendary reveal to the world in the Daybreak episode. Saddest? Cult of Gloom has that one on lock for the Iron Legacy question.The rest Im a little rusty on, but I’ll do a quick once over to remember.

[MindWanderer]

@cnranger

I’m not going to vote but I’m hoping Cult of Gruum wins, because man I’m still laughing about that one. Also I have no idea if that was in 2018 or not.

That was my thought as well. Anyone remember what episode that was in? Presumably the person who wrote it does…

[TakeWalker]

@Jeysie

the Cult of Gloom’s parting shot in the Iron Legacy episode is saddest, but I’ll have to do some research on the other two.

Oh god yes.

At least this is just nominating. I don’t have to feel bad about forgetting about the Cult of Gruum. :B (I voted for Angry Taxpayer.)

[Trajector]

Hello everybody,

I think the idea of asking for us listeners to give awards to podcast episodes is in poor taste. Seeing that I was not alone in my opinion, I made a facetious suggestion that I intended as a joke. I did not mean any insult to other podcast listeners (or C&A) by that, nor did I intend to be extreme; I intended to be silly. That backfired horribly, and I sincerely apologize to anyone offended.

Jeysie, I do want to note that, the way you came down on me so harshly and refused to acknowledge my attempt to defuse the issue, it took somebody else backing up your opinion for me to realize that I might have caused offense in the first place.

Anyway, that's all I have to say on the matter and I don't plan to engage with this particular subject again. What I am actually going to do is just not nominate or vote for anything. Those of you who want to have fun with this, go right ahead! I apologize, and I'm sorry for intruding on the favorite letter discussion one more time.

Saddest question is absolutely the Cult of Gloom's Iron Legacy knife-twisting.

[Jeysie]

@Trajector

Jeysie, I do want to note that, the way you came down on me so harshly and refused to acknowledge my attempt to defuse the issue, it took somebody else backing up your opinion for me to realize that I might have caused offense in the first place.

You have got to be kidding me. Now I’m going to be actually harsh, if you’re now going to start trying to straight up victim-blame me.

All I did was politely state truthfully and sincerely that you were being hostile, with an equally polite explanation of why I saw it as hostile, along with a still-polite suggestion of how people could have reacted instead. In return you essentially denied that you did anything wrong, implied that I was simply being unreasonable, and tried to transparently deflect away from yourself to saying I’m the real person causing problems.

Nothing about that was me “being harsh” or you “defusing things”, it was you trying to wiggle out of dealing with criticism for your actions and treating me with complete disrespect and unwillingness to take me seriously.

And now even when someone comes along and backs me up, your reaction isn’t to say “Sorry Jeysie I guess you had a fair point”, but to pointedly apologize to everyone else but address me personally with an attempt to victim-blame me for your own free will choice to be disrespectful towards me in a way that you were not disrespectful to Powerhound or Taffyman despite them saying almost exactly the same things I did.

Especially when you consider that Taffyman came along and straight up yelled at you, so to have you sit here and go “Well, Jeysie, you were being too harsh and that’s why I didn’t listen” is… yeah. I don’t know what this double standard is where other people can say a thing and be listened to and respected for it but when I say literally the exact same things I’m suddenly given disrespectful dismissal and put under a microscope, but I don’t appreciate it, to put it mildly. It needs to not happen.

[Powerhound_2000]

@Trajector

Jeysie, I do want to note that, the way you came down on me so harshly and refused to acknowledge my attempt to defuse the issue, it took somebody else backing up your opinion for me to realize that I might have caused offense in the first place.

This was completely unnecessary.   I think you owe Jeysie an individual apology just for this part.  

[The_Affable_Taffyman]

@Trajector

Jeysie, I do want to note that, the way you came down on me so harshly and refused to acknowledge my attempt to defuse the issue, it took somebody else backing up your opinion for me to realize that I might have caused offense in the first place.

 

Really? Her’s are the comments that deserve to be called out? I was set on harsh for most of mine and this is the standard you wanna show? 

[Trajector]

Jeysie,

I want to apologize for singling you out in my post #45. I absolutely did not intend victim blaming in any way, though upon re-reading my post I could see how it might have come across that way, so I sincerely apologize. I bear nobody in this forum ill will and wish to let go of my own personal insult.

Have a good evening.

[Jeysie]

Thank you. :)

FWIW I meant what I said, though: If you or anyone else has ideas for how such a poll could be presented in a way people find more appealing, I'd be curious to hear it. I just like the idea of such a poll, so while I don't have an issue with the Awards framing, I'm not wed to it either.

[Trumpet_of_Doom]

Speaking only for myself (I don't think I'm alone in this, but I can't say for sure), the thing that rubs me the wrong way a bit is specifically that they're giving themselves something they're calling awards.

Like, do the poll, that's fine. Even call the categories for user-submitted content awards, I have no problem with that. But calling the whole-episode categories "awards", when they're the only ones eligible, is going to get some side-eyes.

A way to make it more palatable might be to call that part of it a survey. "Hey, we want to know what you thought about X, so that going forward, we have a better sense of what you want to see from us."

[TakeWalker]

At least we know they're not taking it too seriously, since they're awarding themselves a worst episode category. :B

[Trajector]

@Jeysie

Thank you.

FWIW I meant what I said, though: If you or anyone else has ideas for how such a poll could be presented in a way people find more appealing, I’d be curious to hear it. I just like the idea of such a poll, so while I don’t have an issue with the Awards framing, I’m not wed to it either.

You’re welcome.

In general, I agree with the Trumpet of Doom. I would also add that I’m not enthused about the promise of an awards show podcast episode, in which C&A are not just the award creators, nominators (or at least determiners of eligibility), and recipients, but also the presenters as well. 

[Jeysie]

OK, I guess my next question then to folks is: How would you dress up the poll flavor-wise to present on the episode in a fun way?

Since my own reasoning: I admit I'm on the side of TakeWalker's view: I feel like this was never intended as anything but a silly, goofy, flavorful way to present a poll, as strongly evidenced by their willingness to give themselves an "award" for worst episode.

So further train of thought: People seem to be OK with the half of the matter that is a poll of favorite episodes, but are against the half of the idea of flavoring it as an "award" specifically. So since no one has said: "Here is how I would present the poll results on an episode flavor-wise instead", I feel that's the next thing I'd like to try to coax out of people.

[Blackfang108]

@Jeysie

 the Cult of Gloom’s parting shot in the Iron Legacy episode is saddest,

I …

 

I forgot about that,  I think I removed it from my head.

 

Becasue that was just unfair.

[Trumpet_of_Doom]

@Jeysie

OK, I guess my next question then to folks is: How would you dress up the poll flavor-wise to present on the episode in a fun way?

Since my own reasoning: I admit I’m on the side of TakeWalker’s view: I feel like this was never intended as anything but a silly, goofy, flavorful way to present a poll, as strongly evidenced by their willingness to give themselves an “award” for worst episode.

So further train of thought: People seem to be OK with the half of the matter that is a poll of favorite episodes, but are against the half of the idea of flavoring it as an “award” specifically. So since no one has said: “Here is how I would present the poll results on an episode flavor-wise instead”, I feel that’s the next thing I’d like to try to coax out of people.

Honestly? I’m not sure I would try to flavor it up at all.

Granted, part of that is probably because I enjoy the perception of getting to see behind the curtain, see how the decisions are made. So if they just came at it from the angle of, “here’s the episodes y’all said you liked for thing X; let’s speculate on why y’all liked those episodes in particular, so that we can do more of what you liked,” and had that discussion on air, I’d probably be fine with that. That may not be a useful answer to the question you’re asking, but it’s mine.

[Jeysie]

@Trumpet of Doom

Honestly? I'm not sure I would try to flavor it up at all.

Granted, part of that is probably because I enjoy the perception of getting to see behind the curtain, see how the decisions are made. So if they just came at it from the angle of, “here’s the episodes y’all said you liked for thing X; let’s speculate on why y’all liked those episodes in particular, so that we can do more of what you liked,” and had that discussion on air, I’d probably be fine with that. That may not be a useful answer to the question you’re asking, but it’s mine.

It is useful, in that it gives a look on alternate ways to present the information on air/in a post, and it’s also something I hadn’t thought of before but is interesting now that you say it. I am fond of analysis myself, so trying to analyze why a thing worked/why I thing didn’t work is the type of thing that’s also up my own alley. Thank you.

[LonelyMan]

It’s been a while since I thought of anything purely positive to say, but here goes. Though I nitpick the details of OblivAeon a bit, I mostly see the logic of how he works, and I fully believe that C&A’s work to make an ultimate destroyer entity that actually feels interesting, both as a character concept and in terms of actually fighting him, is the best job any creator has ever done. (MCU Thanos takes the silver medal. He’s a great character and the battle against him makes two awesome movies, but there’s enough about it that feels unsatisfying on a few levels that it doesn’t quite equal Blivs. Anti-Monitor gets the bronze I suppose.)

It’s weird that they waffle on the question of multiversal splitting within the sandwich bag; obviously everyone’s RPG campaign is a separate timeline branching from the start point of the sentinel comics universe just after OA falls.

Back to the negativity a bit, it annoys me a little that when you fight OA in the app, and you lose, “The multiverse is destroyed” - except you can try again. It’s much more sensible to say that every game where OA wins is a single timeline being destroyed, and the entire OblivAeon battle is the sum total of all such games. If a real world cartoon or comic or something ever happens, I would want it to acknowledge that fact in a slightly meta way.

Moving beyond Blivs, the comment about Xtremeverse Setback makes me really think that he’s a hilariously over-the-top walking disasters that’s mostly slapstick comedy, but involving literally billions of dollars of property damage.

The simple solution to the Burying the Blade and Miss Information thing is just that the Baron Blade in her story was a hallucination or a dimensional alternate, and never the real Blade.

“It’s not funny to be accurate all the time” - Adam missed a chance to score some points here by pointing out, yes he does a terrible French accent for Ambuscade and other French things, but he also does a terrible Bri’Ish accent for Captain Cosmic and other English things. Mockery is all-inclusive, at least as long as you’re mocking someone who has a sense of humor about their culture, which France and England both historically do. Other countries, maybe less so, but hopefully that’s temporary, and we’ll someday arrive at a future so devoid of bigotry and social schisms and lingering resentments about past conflicts, that you can do a terrible Chinese accent or a terrible Israeli accent or a terrible Inuit or Dineh accent, and nobody gets offended because all of those cultures are completely secure in themselves.