Our Heart is finally back together! Lauren, Rob, Alyssa and Koala process their grief at losing The Wheel of Time show, and discuss fandom, family and the #SaveWoT campaign. Whatever comes, we will face it on our feet!

While the other Darkfriends are away, Rob is joined by listener Edwinus Prime as They discuss the news of Amazon's cancellation of the Wheel of Time series, possible paths forward with other streaming studios... and Star Wars. Because Rob.

Koala and Rob recap their excitement for the Wheel of Time season 3 trailer. And few SECRETS are dropped along the way.

Our Heart is broken while Alyssa and Koala are at WoTCon 2024 and Rob and Lauren are holding down the forts at home. In this episode we get a surprise call from Alyssa and Koala with WoTCon updates, Rob puts a big ol' Seanchan deathhorn in his mouth, and we are joined by our good friend and follower Patrick Lightbody!

Topics discussed include WoTCon, WOT Idol, Rob's future podcast plans, Lauren's YouTube channel "Unraveling the Pattern", Amazon Prime's "The Wheel of Time" seasons 2-3, Lauren's trip to the Two Rivers in Prague, and we are joined by Sifl the Taint Puppet!

Give us a listen or you MIGHT be a Darkfriend!

The Darkfriends discuss inner voices and obstacles to content creation, especially leading up to WOT Idol, and Alyssa, Koala and Rob are joined once again by the amazing WOT Cake Lady, Penny! Lauren pops in now and then while making a waygate-load of cinnamon rolls, and Koala tells us all about her new Wheel of Time themed card game, Questioners Vs. Darkfriends! Don't miss this one!

The Darkfriends discuss the mutual FOMO of missing JordanCon 2024, tips for overcoming social anxiety and what they love the most about the Wheel of Time fandom. Why did They Might Be Darkfriends get the works? That's nobody's business but the Nerds!
JordanCon 2024 events mentioned:
Cursing With Guy Roberts (Three Fold Talk) at Jordancon 2024 (mentioned by Rob) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K03_amA9D8
Guy Roberts' panel on The Wheel of Time at JordanCon 2024 (mentioned by Lauren) - https://www.youtube.com/live/rrsf4IuQ384?si=ZVoQeerbCJstKdJU
WoTCon - https://wotcon.com/
Mentioned Podcasts & Content Creators:
The Way of the Leaf - https://www.youtube.com/@TheWayOfTheLeaf
Three Fold Talk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htVm8sKTio4&list=PLcpDXQ7qgxQ74kgYYZF6Yjl0_4QuLi6Ne&pp=iAQB
Malkier Talks - https://www.youtube.com/@MalkierTalks
The Dusty Wheel - https://www.youtube.com/@thedustywheel
WotUp with Jon - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbl0nJfwdXWANnKEURnFkHg
Wheel Takes podcast with Ali and Gus - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wheel-takes/id1491095135
The Wheel Weaves podcast with Dani and Brett - https://www.thewheelweavespodcast.com/
Talk'aran'rhiod showcast - https://www.talkaranrhiod.com/
The Light's Work podcast - https://www.thelightswork.com/
OnlyFinns, home of FOMOcon - https://twitter.com/FoxesSnakes

In episode 10, the Darkfriends open up the stage and are joined by New Creations By Jen, Mor Shadi and Light-Blinded Fool as they discuss Creativity and what drives us to create!

SHOW NOTES:

Koala’s echidna video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuf93lXdHgg
Rob’s “SPIRALING SHAPE” 3D artwork: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/rJ3Wy2
PBS’ Secret City with Commander Mark Kistler - https://youtube.com/@secretcity826?si=9cTPwiRZc4Pedkd4
TMBG featured songs:
“Spiraling Shape” - https://youtu.be/Em6v3sF7stM?si=3pohlGcp_SeokzD_
“Mammal” - https://youtu.be/14jjo7MtSzE?si=mXxtBouNBChi9H7W
“Meet James Ensor” - https://youtu.be/NA0FJ3akfUs?si=u5EeKar-gKd8o8rj
“Meet James Ensor” (live version) - https://youtu.be/rhRlS2Fw_7Q?si=l6_bkspgmjgq3ZQg
James Ensor at Art History Project - https://www.arthistoryproject.com/artists/james-ensor/
The Light’s Work podcast #63: “WoT Fan Art” - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lights-work/id1652422375?i=1000648844140
—
“SPIRALING SHAPE” lyrics:
Down, down, down you go
No way to stop
As you fall, hear me call
No, no, no
Listen to this warning and
Consider these
Simple words of advice
Stop, stop, stop
Fogging the view, cupping face to the window
In darkness you make out a spiraling shape
Putting all reason aside you exchange
What you got for a thing that's hypnotic and strange
The spiraling shape will make you go insane
(Everyone wants to see that groovy thing)
But everyone wants to see that groovy thing
(Everyone wants to see that thing)
And nobody knows what it's really like
But everyone says it's great
And they heard it from the spiral in their eyes
This could lead to excellence
Or serious injury
Only one way to know
Go, go, go
Go ahead, wreck your life
That might be good
Who can say what's wrong or right?
Nobody can
Put out your hands and you fall through the window
And clawing at nothing you drop through the void
Your terrified screams are inaudible drowned
In the spiral ahead and consumed in the shape
The spiraling shape will make you go insane
(Everyone wants to see that groovy thing)
But everyone wants to see that groovy thing
(Everyone wants to see that thing)
And now that you've tried it, you're back to report
That the spiraling shape was a fraud and a fake
You didn't enjoy it, you never believed it
There won't be a refund, you'll never go back
The spiraling shape will make you go insane
(Everyone wants to see that groovy thing)
But everyone wants to see that groovy thing
(Everyone wants to see that thing)
And nobody knows what it's really like
But everyone says it's great
And they heard it from the spiral in their eyes
(Spiral in their eyes)
Fogging the view, cupping face to the window
In darkness you make out a spiraling shape
Putting all reason aside you exchange
What you got for a thing that's hypnotic and strange
The spiraling shape will make you go insane
(Everyone wants to see that groovy thing)
But everyone wants to see that groovy thing
(Everyone wants to see that thing)
Don't spend the rest of your life wondering
(Everyone wants to see that thing)
Don't spend the rest of your life wondering
(Everyone wants to see that groovy thing)
Don't spend the rest of your life wondering
(Everyone wants to see that thing)

The Darkfriends are joined by special guest Rhuarc, host of the Watch Party: Wheel of Time podcast, as they don't discuss sleep, bur rather Imposter Sydrome IRL within the fandom and as dealt with by characters in the Wheel of Time books and show.

--

SHOW NOTES: Hello and welcome to They Might Be Darkfriends, a podcast for friends and fans of the Wheel of Time where we discuss anything and everything showing the ups, downs, and tips related to content creation. And lately we've been discussing mental health in the fandom. We're also big fans of They Might Be Giants, a weird band from the 90s that's still making music today. This week - guest Rhuarc joins our four hosts to discuss a topic near and dear to our hearts: Imposter Syndrome - in our lives and in the story we love most Wheel of Time. Rhuarc hosts another Podcast: WatchParty Wheel of Time. Have you listened to them yet? With co-host Saimma and 6 panel members who have not read the books, they get into some fascinating discussions as they work through the TV Show episodes and lots of deep dives.

Catch them here: https://wotwatchparty.com/ DISCLAIMER: By no means are we experts. So if you're listening to this podcast and things resonate with you, that's great. We're happy about that. But we also don't want you to necessarily take everything we say as gospel. If there's a need for mental health awareness, if you need to take care of mental illness, please reach out to actual professionals and experts. We are just kind of our own little personal support group, but we don't, you know, we're not experts.

TL;DR version:

Watch Party Wheel of Time: https://wotwatchparty.wordpress.com/

They Might Be Darkfriends' Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/TheyMightBeDarkfriends

This episode was inspired by They Might Be Giant's "Sleep" - https://youtu.be/FSbEOZY7k20?si=DUgbZFgYk8sRikqt

Lyrics: Each (ahh) Time (ahh) I (ahh) Sleep (ahh) I'm (ahh) Sad (ahh) I (ahh) Will be replaced by somebody else In the morning Exactly like me Going around, drinking all my drinks Kissing my wife Thinking what I think Making me resentful but Each Time I Get up in the morning I'm glad I Took Someone else's place

This week, the Darkfriends welcome a new cast-member, Koala Sedai, and have a freeform discussion about seasonal affective disorder, procrastination guilt, imposter syndrome and a lot of other things we deal with as content creators.

Alyssa and Rob are joined by Penny the WOT Cake Lady and the lovely Koala Sedai as they discuss social anxiety WITHIN the fandom, as well as debate whether or not carrot cake counts as cake.

Start counting up your Advil, Darkfriends! Lauren tells all about his trip to Prague and Jordan Studios, the Darkfriends discuss the mental toll of being a content creator, and Rob makes a startling confession. But don't worry, we're not done and we won't be 'till our heads fall off!