Author Topic: EP579: Texts from the Ghost War  (Read 12923 times)

eytanz

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on: June 09, 2017, 07:57:01 AM
EP579: Texts from the Ghost War

AUTHOR: Alex Yuschik
NARRATORS: Trendane Sparks and Adam Pracht
HOST: Tina Connolly

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While I realize driving that mech likely takes all of your limited resources, please take care not to step on the roses.

what

Don’t step on the roses. I don’t care if we’re under imminent attack.

Your mech is standing so close to them I’m cringing.


who is this?

I can see you typing and then stopping

don’t waste my time coming up with a lie, punk

Who I am or how I got your number is irrelevant.

no, it’s not

and, fyi, we don’t drive them, we pilot

gods, you’re probably chung sol trolling me

I assure you, I am not.

I am only here for the roses.


Listen to this week’s Escape Pod!



Chuk

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Reply #1 on: June 09, 2017, 04:27:25 PM
Great story, I love the setting and the way we see it just from the character's texts, and the format works well (I read the text version but two narrators in stereo is a great way to produce it).

--
chuk


Lionman

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Reply #2 on: June 09, 2017, 10:57:06 PM
I thought this was a really, really well-done story.  The two narrators played off one another so incredibly well.  Both Trendane and Adam make a great team, and their voice work on other projects in the Escape Artists podcasts have always been top notch.  (Yes, please more from these two.)

I thought the writer did a great job building dialog between the two characters, building a story that no only fills in some details about the world, but put the hook in there that the pilot used to watch mech-related stories on TV as a kid.  All around, it draws the listener in and makes you wonder what's next for these two characters.

Well done!

Failure is an event, not a person.


acpracht

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Reply #3 on: June 09, 2017, 11:04:17 PM
Great story, I love the setting and the way we see it just from the character's texts, and the format works well (I read the text version but two narrators in stereo is a great way to produce it).

As the producer, I want to just say: "Thanks, Chuk!" :)

You (and maybe others) might be interested to know that my processing in production for this one went beyond panning between the L and R stereo channels. I've found a effects filter plug-in (that, generally, plays nice with Audacity) that uses what's called a "Head-Related Transfer Function" (or HRTF) to mimic not only what the ear closest to a sound would hear, but also what you would hear in your other ear through your head! This results in a much more realistic 3-D audio effect with only two audio sources - L and R.

(You can see what this means with this episode. While listening on stereo earphones, take off the headphone/earbud on the side that the narrator is apparently "located." You'll hear that that narrator doesn't disappear entirely, as you might expect them to. Instead, you can hear them - more muffled but still intelligible - in your other ear. This is what that person speaking would sound like after the sound waves have traveled through a typical person's head.)

The filter is sophisticated enough that I can make (and have made, with work I've done for the Drabblecast) the apparent source of a voice or sounds move anywhere in a full sphere around the listener. I opted to keep it fairly straightforward here, however, as simply locating each narrator primarily in the L or R location would avoid confusion and seemed the best way to translate the visual effect of left or right justification into audio terms. (Incidentally, you should absolutely look at the text to get the full effect of what Alex has pulled off. They left us the challenge of how to interpret "?" and "..." into audio forms. Also, there's personality expressed in how Five and Hyeon use and understand texting. For example, Five is more likely to use slang and abbreviation, doesn't tend to use proper capitalization and punctuation - at least, until he slips into a more formal register briefly after Hyeon reveals himself - and tends to send much briefer messages. Hyeon, meanwhile, tends toward a more formal register even when he's trying to "be casual" - at least, until he starts drunk-texting - uses capitalization and punctuation correctly, and - even though he types slower - tends toward much longer texts.  

Anyway, it takes some work, but I always have liked the greater depth of realism added by the 3-D effect.

TL;DR : Adam likes nerdy audio / literary stuff. :P

-Adam
Producer



benjaminjb

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Reply #4 on: June 10, 2017, 01:58:09 PM
Really nice story, really nice narration, really nice production.



Schrodingrr

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Reply #5 on: June 10, 2017, 11:15:53 PM
I loved this story so hard! Also: Been a while since a story made me tear up at work. My co-workers are now frightened and giving me a wide berth. Thanks for that!

This sentence serves no purpose, so you don't have to read it if you don't want to.


acpracht

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Reply #6 on: June 11, 2017, 05:17:24 AM
I loved this story so hard! Also: Been a while since a story made me tear up at work. My co-workers are now frightened and giving me a wide berth. Thanks for that!

Glad to be of service. :)

Incidentally, I know that a narration is really tuned where I want it when, after the hours of working with the manuscript, the narration, the editing, and the final production... it still makes me cry.

(That is, of course, assuming it's a story that's supposed to make the listener feel the feels. If it's a comedy piece that makes you start sobbing, well, I've got a problem).

-Adam
Producer



Chuk

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Reply #7 on: June 12, 2017, 04:21:33 PM
(That is, of course, assuming it's a story that's supposed to make the listener feel the feels. If it's a comedy piece that makes you start sobbing, well, I've got a problem).
That might be an interesting technical challenge though...

--
chuk


Father Beast

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Reply #8 on: June 15, 2017, 10:48:51 AM
I was struck that the last line was the same as another Escape Artists story, the name and number of which I don't recall at the moment. I think it was on Podcastle. But when he texted that last line, I immediately flashed on that other story and brought my feelings on that story into play as well.

Well done.



Frank Evans

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Reply #9 on: June 16, 2017, 12:18:21 PM
Like everyone else, I really liked the way the audio was done for this story. It really added to the overall effect. The story itself was well done as well. Good job all around. Thanks!



Katzentatzen

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Reply #10 on: June 21, 2017, 09:45:57 PM
You know what I love? Sci fi mixed with fantasy. You know what I love even more? BROMANCES!
Seriously, the speed at which this story has me caring about the characters was impressive. I want more in this setting! It's so disturbing that grieving a loved one could have their ghost come back to attack everyone.

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Abrigella

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Reply #11 on: June 22, 2017, 01:32:53 AM
I think this might be one of my favorite stories. I found the whole story so compelling.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Anthony Creamer

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Reply #12 on: June 24, 2017, 05:57:27 PM
Thoroughly enjoyed this story.

The one complaint I have is the format of the text, because I read it a couple days after I listened to the story. The format works and is creative but I found it distracting because my eyesight, even with glasses, hasn't been great for awhile and looking back and forth gave me a mild headache :)

As an audio story it was fantastic, the characters really drew me in and I found myself caring about them as I 'watched' their interactions unfold through the texts. It's why I made the effort to read the story hehe.

Great work, probably one of my favorite pieces recently.



acpracht

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Reply #13 on: June 25, 2017, 05:35:36 AM
Thoroughly enjoyed this story.

The one complaint I have is the format of the text, because I read it a couple days after I listened to the story. The format works and is creative but I found it distracting because my eyesight, even with glasses, hasn't been great for awhile and looking back and forth gave me a mild headache :)

As an audio story it was fantastic, the characters really drew me in and I found myself caring about them as I 'watched' their interactions unfold through the texts. It's why I made the effort to read the story hehe.

Great work, probably one of my favorite pieces recently.

Glad you enjoyed the story, Poisonwaters!

Sorry to hear that the formatting caused issues for you.

I personally don't think it would work the same without the left and right justifications to distinguish the characters, but there is always an inherent risk when doing something unique and non-standard.

Certainly, the audio version would not have been the same, as using the left and right stereo channels would never have occurred to me without this unique layout.

A possible solution for your particular case occurs to me, however. Could you have done: Ctrl+A to select the full text, then Ctrl+C to copy it... Open a word processor, and Ctrl+V to paste it. Then, Ctrl+A again to select the full text and, finally, select left justification to shift the entire text flush left.

Just an idea... :)

-Adam



Anthony Creamer

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Reply #14 on: June 25, 2017, 07:00:52 AM
Nah I just wont read the text again :)



spidervet

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Reply #15 on: June 26, 2017, 07:11:04 PM
Delurking to say that l just loved this story. I'd definitely read more by this author, especially a sequel (hint hint)



LydiaJ

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Reply #16 on: June 29, 2017, 06:03:12 AM
This story had just about everything: drama, humor, ghosts, class commentary, battle mechs. It was just fantastic. I liked the narration too. Fortunately, I just happened to listen to it with ear buds.

Big win all the way around with this one!



danooli

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Reply #17 on: July 06, 2017, 03:24:36 PM
What a fantastic story. Loved it, even if I also found myself crying at work!

Great production.



Kittenpox

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Reply #18 on: July 07, 2017, 07:47:05 AM
This story was *wonderful*. I may or may not have cried a little at the end. :3



Ichneumon

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Reply #19 on: July 11, 2017, 12:12:50 AM
I don't want to rain on the parade, because I appreciated many parts of this story, but idk, it felt a little too cheesy for me.



Trendane

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Reply #20 on: July 11, 2017, 11:04:03 PM
I don't want to rain on the parade, because I appreciated many parts of this story, but idk, it felt a little too cheesy for me.

That opinion is just as valid as any other.  Thank you for sharing it!



acpracht

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Reply #21 on: July 13, 2017, 10:03:05 PM
I don't want to rain on the parade, because I appreciated many parts of this story, but idk, it felt a little too cheesy for me.

But the important question... did the cheese make you cry?

;)

-Adam



TrishEM

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Reply #22 on: August 16, 2017, 08:42:51 AM
I'm finally starting to catch up on Escape Pod and the other Escape Artists shows after a long hiautus caused by weeks and weeks of overtime at work. This is the show that made me want to say Hello again to everybody, because Oh, the feelings that this story gave me! I just adored the development of this relationship (my idea was that it was an incipient romance, not just a platonic bromance, albeit a closeted star-crossed romance due to dynastic considerations). The horrific worldbuilding hints, with the casual references to so much death and destruction, and the fact that allowing yourself to mourn a loved one outside of controlled circumstances endangered you and others, really were incredibly effective at putting me into the story. I loved this story so much!

Technically, I noticed the right-left channels at first, and it worked for me, but after a while I didn't notice it at all and was just immersed in the story. I hope @acpracht views that as a compliment!



Schrodingrr

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Reply #23 on: August 16, 2017, 08:22:17 PM
my idea was that it was an incipient romance, not just a platonic bromance, albeit a closeted star-crossed romance due to dynastic considerations

I had the same thought, but what I loved about that aspect of the story was that it was ambiguous enough that either interpretation would be equally valid. :)

This sentence serves no purpose, so you don't have to read it if you don't want to.


Fenrix

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Reply #24 on: October 11, 2017, 03:05:25 AM
The worldbuilding and development of the relationship was very nicely done, particularly considering the format constraints.

All cat stories start with this statement: “My mother, who was the first cat, told me this...”