Season one, Episode Fifteen, “Not-So-Innocent”

Season one, Episode Fifteen, “Not-So-Innocent”

After the ApocalypseA pandemic survival storySeason one, Episode Fifteen, “Not-So-Innocent”

A sharp wind evaporated the sweat from Janet’s arms. She felt a chill, like a passing ghost. Her heart settled from a hard drumbeat in her chest to a low rhythmic thump as she walked, recovering from her run.

She felt cleaner now.

Refreshed.

The familiar ache of bone and muscle comforted her.

She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt and looked ahead at the vehicle in the road.

What was going on with this overheated camper van?

It was an older, boxy model. The hood was propped open, and she could smell the metal of the overheated radiator.

Janet could hear snippets of argument as she cautiously approached.

It was hard to get all of it. The wind was gusting, creating white noise that washed out the voices, making them fade in and out like a bad phone connection.

She approached the van on the opposite side from where the people were arguing. Better to stay unnoticed. Was this even something that she wanted to get involved with?

...

Episode Commentary Season One, Episode Fifteen – “Not so Innocent”

Hello and welcome back my survivor friends. How are we all doing? How’s the apocalypse treating you?

What did you think of the episode? Frankly I struggled writing this one and my editing team helped A LOT! Thank you Duane! If anyone wants to help with writing or editing please feel free to reach out.

I didn’t want to just have action. The action turns into “he-said-she-said” type motion-without-meaning after a while. And that get’s boring.

There are no stakes. Not snakes, stakes. You always have to ask and answer that question: what are the stakes here?

On the flip side you don’t want to bulk up with too much exposition and emotions – because that gets boring too.

The key is to marry the exposition and stakes with the action. Have what the characters do and say make your points for you.

Language is a powerful thing. Story telling is a basic, human, powerful thing.

So – long story short (pun absolutely intended) I had to wrestle with that in this episode.

I wanted to make sure that we were understanding the motivation of the characters and moving the broader narrative forward and even exploring some deeper themes.

And, as it turns out, this is a common theme in apocalyptic literature – how does your current pre-apocalypse skill set translate into a post-apocalyptic world? It’s not just preppers and backwoodsmen who will do well. It’s also the resilient, the fast, the smart and those willing to lead.

And to show this we take individuals out of the real world and drop them int the apocalypse – in our case Janet the type-A lawyer and the old man, a disgraced doctor turned ultra-runner.

That’s the theme that I’m trying to play with. And that’s what makes science fiction so much fun. Because you can create these mashups and play with them. What would a pre-school teacher do in an alien invasion? What would the ballet-teacher do in an alternate universe? I don’t know but you could write that story.

One of my favorite versions of this is when Rod Serling dropped a book loving bank teller into the apocalypse in episode 8 of the original Twighlight Zone titled “Time Enough at Last”. First aired in 1959 and based on a story by Lynn Venable.

In this episode Henry Bemis played by Burgess Meredith,. loves books yet is surrounded by those who would prevent him from reading them. (You know Burgess Meredith as the original Penguin in the Batman TV series and as Rocky’s crusty old coach Mickey in the Rocky movies.)

The episode follows Bemis through a post-apocalyptic world, touching on such social issues as anti-intellectualism, the dangers of reliance upon technology, and the difference between solitude and loneliness. In the end he breaks his glasses so he can’t read the books even though he’s the last one alive.

This was one of the most popular episodes of the original Twilight zone.

Anyhow, that’s an example of how you can make an episode compelling without much action at all.

Congratulations to all of you my surviving friends in the apocalypse. We are over 5,000 downloads strong now. Let’s push it to a million! Tell some friends, keep it moving. Post the link to the show in your social. You my friends are our personal agents of chaos spreading the apocalypse love.

I do need more of you to join the patreon page as members. I want to be able to keep the storygoing. And you can help me survive with your support.

As Patreon Members you get full access to scripts and show notes.

But I am going to sweeten the pot.

If you go and join Patreon at any level I’m going to give you special, members only episodes.

https://www.patreon.com/AftertheApocalypse?fan_landing=true

Starting with this one here from one of my other apocalypse universes.

Insert clip here.

So if you want to hear more of that, and get other shows I’m going to drop go join the patreon page so I can keep the show going.

Thank you all very much and until next time…Keep Surviving!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jaksot(129)

Dean and Cordelia Wrap-up with Jesse and Shannon

Dean and Cordelia Wrap-up with Jesse and Shannon

Welcome back survivors! How have you been? Have you missed me? Today, we have a conversation with Jesse and Shannon to wrap up the Dean and Cordelia series. If you’re new to the feed, the original After the Apocalypse story ran for 5 seasons. It’s an story about survivors of a viral apocalypse and I recommend you start with Season one Episode one. · Notes: from conversation: · Jesse’s website https://www.piedraven.com· T. Kingfisher books -> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ursula_Vernon· Tamson Muir -> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamsyn_Muir· Game Changer -> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Changer_(game_show)· HealthRight360 -> https://www.healthright360.org/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

30 Marras 35min

AC S1 E6 Not Patchouli

AC S1 E6 Not Patchouli

Hello my survivor friends…Thick, oily, toxic mist rises from a crack in the village center. The bone crushing coldness has caused the turf to dry and die. The earth below contracts and splits to reveal its deathly inner workings. All is cold and death. Yup, that’s pretty much the way it is at my house too. Winter and darkness have rolled like an exhausting dystopian ghost over the land. What’s new survivors? Today I’m going to talk about the Dean and Cordelia series and what we’re doing next on the feed and I’ll give you a fun book review I wrote for my new book club. I suspect I’m going to go a bit longer – so you might want to refresh your smokey old fashion with a shot of bourbon. Chris, Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

15 Marras 37min

AC S1 E5 Widespread Mechanical Failure

AC S1 E5 Widespread Mechanical Failure

"Widespread Mechanical Failure" - Episode 2 of the Dean and Cordelia seriesWritten by Jesse DanielsRead by Shannon StockwellProduced for the Apocalypse Cafe by Chris Russell...Cordelia and Dean rumbled on the hood of his car as a small plane flew in overhead. The proximity to the landing aircraft shook her small frame and blew her hair in every direction. They hollered, but couldn’t hear one another, and gazed up as the plane passed. It grew louder when it backfired, sending a quick burst of flames and soot out the exhaust. Thankfully, the odor drifted off due to the draft. The plane wobbled as it came closer to the ground, first touching down with only one wheel, then bouncing a few times before gaining traction with both, and landing safely a short distance away. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

25 Loka 29min

AC S1 E4 Cherry and Star Anise

AC S1 E4 Cherry and Star Anise

Introduction to “Cherry and Star Anise – Episode one of the Dean and Cordelia series. Hello and welcome survivors to the next story in the Apocalypse Café. Today we present to you the first episode in the Dean and Cordelia three episode arc titled “Cherry and Star Anise.” I’ll come back with comments at the end, but allow me, survivors, to quickly introduce the author and the performer. Jesse Daniels is a tree-climbing Virgo with an amazing whistling ability. He can often be found at the peak of a mountain with his dog and wife in tow. He enjoys storytelling, drawing, painting, and creative endeavors of all types. He is working on a fantasy novel with a creative take on classic monsters and a unique magic system, hoping to get it out and into the world within the next couple of years.Currently, Jesse has a non-fiction book out through Storey Publishing focused on tabletop game design, titled Make Your Own Board Game. Look to his website, PiedRaven.com, for more information on his other work including Hibernation, a bear-centric card game that is available for purchase, and Between Realms, a celtic-mythology themed, worker-placement card-game coming soon.Our audio artist for today’s piece is Clara McCouch. Clara is an aspiring young actor, fresh out of high school, all set to leave behind the pastoral farmlands of central Pennsylvania in pursuit of her BFA in acting at Montclair State University in northern New Jersey. And she does an outstanding job on this read. Additional thanks to my thespian survivor friend Duane for putting me in touch with Clara. So…my survivor friends, grab a glass of good merlot, a handful of silverware, and sit back and enjoy “Cherry and Star Anise.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

4 Loka 28min

Exterminator Wrap up Interview

Exterminator Wrap up Interview

Patrick Rushbrook is a self-described “middle aged white guy in Kentucky with a beautiful wife and two teenage daughters, who writes silly stories to entertain himself instead of doing more productive things with his spare time.” Patrick had always been interested in writing but isn’t exactly a self-starter, so he didn’t take up the craft until age 39, after finding Reddit’s nosleep page. Growing jealous of some of the wildly successful, yet terribly written stories there and craving reddit upvotes to satisfy his fragile ego, he ventured into the game where one of his early stories was the first iteration of the Exterminator character. In 2024, Patrick achieved the title of “professional writer” by earning an incredible $400.In addition to his literary endeavors, Patrick is also a professional drummer and an un-professional guitarist, where he’s earned a grand total of $75 and a t-shirt that was three sizes too big. You can find Patrick on Instagram at patrickrushbrookwritesBut the best place is at his Author Subreddit - r/ hgtv_neighbor …Patrick and I worked together to vet an audio performer for this series and landed on the voice you will hear today reading the work – Austin.Austin C. Baker is a storyteller and experience designer from Plymouth, Indiana, with a lifelong passion for narrative and creativity. From writing comic books and filming backyard skits as a kid to designing immersive events and ghostwriting fiction, Austin has always sought out meaningful ways to connect with audiences.He holds degrees in Experience Design, History, and Strategic Leadership & Design from the University of Indianapolis, where he also spent several years teaching. Alongside his design and writing work, Austin is an actor and voice actor, bringing characters to life across screen and audio.Today, he runs BDP XD (https://www.bdpxd.com/ ), his own experience design studio, while also continuing to write and teach professionally. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

20 Syys 26min

The Exterminator’s Apocalypse, Part Three, The Equalizer

The Exterminator’s Apocalypse, Part Three, The Equalizer

Hello, my survivor friends, The sun is setting now in behind the protective ring of iron hills as we wend our way down the slick shale to the village. It glows orange in the opaque, ravaged horizon. As we approach, we see there is an old man squatting on his haunches in front of a warming fire. He turns to us with yellowed eyes and says “Welcome, we’ve been waiting for you…” So that was the 3rd episode of the 3-episode arc of the Exterminator’s Apocalypse Read by Austin and adapted for the apocalypse by Patrick. It’s been fun working with these guys. They are real creatives that love what they do. And I think we need that as the world continues to sync into mediocre machine generated content. We are transitioning the feed over to this new story telling format. And I like the 3-episode format because it gives enough room to tell a story and introduce the characters, for you, the listeners. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

13 Syys 35min

The Exterminator’s Apocalypse, Part Two, Exterminate!

The Exterminator’s Apocalypse, Part Two, Exterminate!

The Apocalypse CaféThe Exterminator’s Apocalypse, Episode two, Exterminate!Welcome Survivors to the second episode of “The Apocalypse Café”. This is a series I’ve created as a follow up to the After the Apocalypse 5 season run. Her we feature new artists with new stories. If you are looking for the original five seasons of the After the Apocalypse story arc then you need to start at Season one, Episode one.I’ve decided to tweak the format after listening to the first episode. I found the commercial break after the introduction to be an awful experience, so, instead, today, I’m going to read this short introduction then we’ll fade right into the story episode, and I’ll throw a commercial break at the end followed by a more traditional outro, where I can provide additional updates. So, when you hear the outro music you can skip ahead. Today we present episode 2 of a 3-episode arc written by Patrick Rushbrook. And performed by Austin C. Baker – The Exterminator’s Apocalypse, Part 2, “Extermination.” ...You can find Patrick on Instagram at patrickrushbrookwritesBut the best place is at his Author Subreddit - r/ hgtv_neighbor Austin can be found at BDP XD (https://www.bdpxd.com/ ), his own experience design studio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

23 Elo 27min

The Exterminator’s Apocalypse, Part one, The Rats

The Exterminator’s Apocalypse, Part one, The Rats

Introduction: Season 6, Episode oneWelcome Survivors to the August 1, 2025 inaugural edition of “The Apocalypse Café”. For those confused, befuddled and wandering pilgrims that are wondering what exactly they are listening to, let me ‘splain’. Let me sum up! After the Apocalypse is an apocalyptic story that I created and published 100 plus episodes over five seasons. That story started with episode 1 season 1 at the beginning of this feed – so if you’re new, go back to the beginning and state there. Since we completed the narrative arc that we had planned now we are presenting stand-alone apocalypse stories that we plan to drop monthly. So, for my surviving listeners, give it a listen and let me know what you think. Today, format-wise. I will read an introduction, insert an ad-break to pay off the jailers, and then step off stage to let you enjoy the story. So let’s get on with it! Today’s offering is the first of a 3-episode story arc by Patrick Rushbrook that introduces a couple of fun characters struggling to survive and make sense of an apocalypse that is alternately comical and horrifying. It is written and adapted by Patrick Rushbrook.…Patrick Rushbrook is a self-described “middle aged white guy in Kentucky with a beautiful wife and two teenage daughters, who writes silly stories to entertain himself instead of doing more productive things with his spare time.” Patrick had always been interested in writing but isn’t exactly a self-starter, so he didn’t take up the craft until age 39, after finding Reddit’s nosleep page. Growing jealous of some of the wildly successful, yet terribly written stories there and craving reddit upvotes to satisfy his fragile ego, he ventured into the game where one of his early stories was the first iteration of the Exterminator character. In 2024, Patrick achieved the title of “professional writer” by earning an incredible $400.In addition to his literary endeavors, Patrick is also a professional drummer and an un-professional guitarist, where he’s earned a grand total of $75 and a t-shirt that was three sizes too big. You can find Patrick on Instagram at patrickrushbrookwritesBut the best place is at his Author Subreddit - r/ hgtv_neighbor …Patrick and I worked together to vet an audio performer for this series and landed on the voice you will hear today reading the work – Austin.Austin C. Baker is a storyteller and experience designer from Plymouth, Indiana, with a lifelong passion for narrative and creativity. From writing comic books and filming backyard skits as a kid to designing immersive events and ghostwriting fiction, Austin has always sought out meaningful ways to connect with audiences.He holds degrees in Experience Design, History, and Strategic Leadership & Design from the University of Indianapolis, where he also spent several years teaching. Alongside his design and writing work, Austin is an actor and voice actor, bringing characters to life across screen and audio.Today, he runs BDP XD (https://www.bdpxd.com/ ), his own experience design studio, while also continuing to write and teach professionally.So without further data loss, after the break, let’s sit back and enjoy “The Exterminator’s Apocalypse, Part one, The Rats”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2 Elo 17min

Suosittua kategoriassa Fiktio

rss-haudattu
varjoton
kummitusjuttu
pottermania
kauniita-unia
rss-tiedetta-vai-tarinaa
rss-mysteeripodi
rss-pelottavia-juttuja
rss-kauhutarinoita