📝 Episode Notes

🎮 Main Topic: RPG Mechanics We Love (and Why Avowed Stands Out)

- The hosts highlight key RPG mechanics that elevate the player experience:

- Maps that matter: Clarity, verticality, and incentivized exploration.

- Visible resources on mini-maps: Encourages environmental interaction and rewards curiosity.

- Streamlined crafting: Especially for those who don't usually like crafting--Avowed's system is intuitive and meaningful.

- Sound cues for treasures: Smart audio design reinforces exploration loops.

- Pre-battle preparation: Crafting buffs (health, essence, stat boosts) that have meaningful impacts on both combat and conversations.

- Flexible combat builds: No locked classes; dual loadouts and hybrid builds let players constantly evolve.

- Quick-access radial menu: A smart, snappy way to deploy consumables mid-fight without breaking immersion.

🧠 What Makes an RPG Great (Beyond Avowed)

- Good maps that invite exploration, not just wayfinding.

- Meaningful character backgrounds that influence narrative and world reactions.

- Strong writing: doesn't need to be literary, but must be compelling and well-structured.

- Characters and companions that enrich the story and provide emotional depth.

- Combat and game mechanics that are fun to play, not just functional.

🧨 Spoiler Section: Choices in

Avowed

- Peter and Eden both freed Sapadal, embraced the godlike heritage, and set the Living Lands free.

- Differences in choices led to varied narrative outcomes: one preserved a city, the other unknowingly let it burn.

- The third-act "Obsidian moral choice" delivers hard-hitting emotional consequences.

- The endgame allows for meaningful reflection on godhood, revolution, and rebirth.

📚 What We're Reading & Watching

- Adachi and Shimamura -- A slow-burn light novel with standout prose.

- Jamis Bachman, Ghost Hunter -- Paranormal mystery in small-town Utah.

- Andor Rewatch -- A deep dive into the thematic richness of the heist arc.

🎧 Recent Metal Discoveries

- Deafheaven -- Lonely People with Power: A return to form, potentially surpassing Sunbather.

- Amenra -- With Fang and Claw & De Toorn: Two EPs showcasing both their brutal and post-metal sides.

- Allegaeon -- The Ossuary Lens: Tech-death meets progressive emotion; Peter's album of the year (so far).

Catching Up:

• Peter shares a laid-back spring break filled with Avowed, a vasectomy, and home recovery. He praises the game's gray morality and engaging writing.

• Eden talks about buying a Boox Palma (a minimalist e-reader) to curb phone addiction, reading five books in a week, and recommends the Practice Perfect romance series by Carson Tate.

Tech Dalliances:

• Both hosts talk about recent tech indulgences.

• Eden raves about the Boox Palma as a life-improving gadget for focused reading.

• Peter details his journey with the Ayn Odin 2 Portal, a handheld Android gaming device. His dream of retro emulation quickly becomes a nightmare of BIOS files and sideloading drama.

• The takeaway? Sometimes it's better to just play your modern Steam backlog.

Comics Corner:

• Eden shares thoughts on DC's new Absolute line and its reimaginings of classic characters:

• Absolute Wonder Woman is a standout.

• Absolute Batman explores a working-class Bruce Wayne.

• Absolute Martian Manhunter earns high praise for reinventing a character Eden never cared about.

• A rant about Hush 2 and a Harley Quinn scratch-and-sniff fart fetish comic provides comic book industry absurdity.

Main Topic -- Andor Episodes 1-3:

Peter's First Watch:

• Came in skeptical due to Star Wars burnout.

• Found episode one a bit slow, episode two better, and episode three "hooked" him.

• Admits it's the most he's enjoyed Star Wars since Return of the Jedi--possibly ever.

Themes and Analysis:

• Andor is a serious, adult take on Star Wars, unafraid to depict the empire as a metaphor for real-world fascism and police brutality.

• The show avoids nostalgic gimmicks and "wink-wink" references in favor of grounded storytelling and rich characterization.

Setting Praise:

• Ferix, Cassian's home, is a fully realized working-class world with its own culture, social code, and resistance instincts.

• The show's commitment to practical sets over digital environments makes it visually compelling.

Character Deep Dives:

• Cassian Andor's backstory reveals a lifetime of loss and injustice, priming him for future rebellion.

• Marva's complex relationship with Cassian is explored through strong performances and layered writing.

• Syril Karn is identified as a perfect example of authoritarian overreach--ambitious, small-minded, and terrifyingly familiar.

Visual & Directorial Highlights:

• Directed by Toby Haynes, the series is praised for its cinematography, lighting, and gripping action sequences.

• The bell ringer, glove wall, and "droid that is stairs" moments are noted as the kind of world-building Star Wars does best.

Looking Ahead:

• Eden hints that the upcoming arcs in Andor get even better.

• Season 2 will follow a similar structure: four arcs of three episodes, each set a year apart leading up to Rogue One.

Closing Thoughts:

• Peter is intrigued and excited to continue.

• The hosts tease more Andor discussions ahead and wrap up with their usual mix of sarcasm, cultural critique, and sincere enthusiasm.

Welcome back!

• Peter and Eden catch up on life, touching on:

• Why modern society feels like a "hellscape."

• Eden's unique take on a book club (it's really just a reason to meet at a bar and talk about books).

• A foray into Bad Movie Bros, a community dedicated to watching and laughing at terrible films.

• Highlights from their recent March Badness-- including absurd movies like The Core and the utterly bizarre 1980 film The Apple.

Cultural Tangents & Side Discussions

• The joys of intentionally bad movies and their ability to bring people together.

• The absolute madness of The Apple, a musical disaster that features a literal rapture via a spectral Buick.

• Eden's ongoing quest to master Riichi Mahjong-- and the realization that half of the players in Mahjong Soul are either total newbies or unbeatable experts.

• Peter's thoughts on Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson and the daunting length of his books.

• Tsunami Sea by Spiritbox and why Peter thinks they are the next big thing in metal.

• Bioluminescence by Dawn of Ouroboros, blending prog, death, and jazz influences.

• A surprising deep dive into Poppy, a genre-defying artist oscillating between pop, metal, and chaos.

Main Segment: Desert Island Albums

• How We Chose: Instead of just picking favorites, Peter and Eden each framed our choices as "Which five albums would I be most sad to never hear again?"

• No Live Albums or Compilations Allowed!

Our Picks:

• Eden's Five:

1. Koyaanisqatsi (Philip Glass) -- The haunting neoclassical score from the experimental documentary.

2. Systems/Layers (Rachel's) -- A genre-defying, deeply personal post-classical album.

3. F# A# ∞ (Godspeed You! Black Emperor) -- A post-rock masterpiece of apocalyptic soundscapes.

4. The Harp of New Albion (Terry Riley) -- Experimental piano music with a tuning that bends reality.

5. Promises (Pharoah Sanders & Floating Points) -- A jazz masterpiece that Eden describes as the finest piece of jazz music ever recorded.

• Peter's Five:

1. Through Silver and Blood (Neurosis) -- An impenetrable wall of sound and raw emotion.

2. Terrasite (Cattle Decapitation) -- A brutal yet oddly cathartic death metal record.

3. Slow Forever (Cobalt) -- A riff-heavy American black metal album that never gets old.

4. Dreaming Neon Black (Nevermore) -- A concept album of insanity, grief, and power.

5. Folium Limina (The Otolith) -- A haunting, violin-infused post-doom album that Peter has written three books to.

Honorable Mentions:

• Rush's Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures (though both hosts realized they could mentally replay these albums in full without ever hearing them again).

• Mariner by Cult of Luna & Julie Christmas.

• Catharsis by YOB.

• Chopin's Opus 28 Preludes, specifically Amy Kobayashi's recording.

Final Thoughts

• Reflecting on how music shapes personal identity and memory.

• The joy of rediscovering albums that remain impactful years later.

• Eden's experience revisiting The Harp of New Albion and realizing its timeless brilliance.

• Peter's increasing excitement for The Otolith and the music that fuels creativity.

Thanks for listening and join us in two weeks for another fun episode!