VALENCE
SEASON 2, EPISODE 7
“Icarus”
RELEASE DATE: 05/01/2021
Liam’s story isn’t the only one that matters. (If it were up to Liam, he’d say his story doesn’t matter at all.) For once, Liam listens to what others have to say.
VALENCE is a serialized fiction podcast meant for adult listeners. You can find more information, including our full cast list and transcripts, at VALENCEpod.com. You can support us on Patreon and get access to inspo images, bonus audio, and more.
This episode of VALENCE is brought to you by Someone Dies in This Elevator, a podcast that’s a part of Sound Escape Productions. It’s a spoiler-driven anthology, in which there is always an elevator, and someone always dies. But everything else is different. You can learn more about the show on Twitter at @SDITEpod.
Content warnings:
- Discussions of familial death from 11:48 – 24:00
- Discussions of medical testing and transphobia from 14:08 – 24:00
Credits:
- Our theme was made by Travis Reaves,
- With production by Raul Vega.
- Additional music provided by Loyalty Freak Music and Kai Engel.
- VALENCE was created by Wil Williams.
- VALENCE is edited and sound designed by Wil Williams.
- VALENCE is directed by Katie Youmans and Anne Baird.
- VALENCE is produced by Anne Baird.
- This episode was written by Katie Youmans and Wil Williams, and titled by Katie Chin, who also named the blog itself.
Performances by, in order of appearance:
- Josh Rubino as Liam and Liam’s Inner Voices,
- Jordan Cobb as Sarah Harris,
- Maddison Dabbs-Petty as Elisha Dawes,
- Katie Chin as Grace Chen,
- Caleb del Rio as Flynn Velasco,
- Ishani Kanetkar as Mahira Varma,
- Tag Natsuki as Blog Contributor 1
- Emily VanDerWerff as Blog Contributor 2,
- Leslie Joyce as Blog Contributor 3,
- Miracle Fonmanu as Zoe Kafoa,
- and Tal Minear as Ash.
TRANSCRIPT
AD (Anne): This episode of VALENCE is brought to you by Someone Dies in This Elevator, a podcast that’s a part of Sound Escape Productions. It’s a spoiler-driven anthology, in which there is always an elevator, and someone always dies. But everything else is different. You can learn more about the show on Twitter at “SDITEpod” — that’s the acronym for “Someone Dies in This Elevator” pod. And to give you a sneak peek, here’s their trailer.
[begin trailer audio]
(An elevator opens up, and we enter it. It climbs upwards..)
TAL: Different locations. Different people. Different Stories. One constant… No matter what… Someone Dies in This Elevator.
(The doors close! The elevator from Three Superheroes Walk Into an Elevator opens)
MEGABLAZE: It just feels like the setup for a joke, ya know? Three superheroes walk into an elevator.
(The doors close! The elevator from The Board Meeting opens)
WINSTON: I can say, with absolute certainty, that your career can not be harmed by anything that happens in that boardroom today.
(The doors close! The elevator from Let the Elevator Die opens)
LAO: We’ll have time to gawk on the ascent. We need to focus on entry strategy; that vault’s two miles underground and we’re about to lose sunlight.
(The doors close! The elevator from the Elevator in A Shit Show opens)
RALIE: I keep letting you do this to me. I keep waiting for you to realize you love me but that’s never going to happen.
(The doors close! The elevator from Elevator in South of Palenque opens)
PROFESSOR: Now do you understand, Manny? We’re in an elevator. An ancient. Mayan. Elevator.
(The doors close! The elevator from Elevator in Most Secure Vault opens)
GEDEON: …Fool an easy target, and everyone blames the victim. (chuckles) Trick an expert and everyone wants to know how you did it. You need to go big to make an impression.
(The doors close! The elevator from Pinnacle of Passion opens)
EZEKIEL: I either find my true love or [clicks tongue] take a dive, right?
(The doors close! The elevator from I Won’t Go Gently opens)
XAVI: I can finally exhale- look around- and take it all in. Outside the elevator I find the eternal night. Stars and nebulas, galaxies nested beyond shimmering clouds… Space. We’re in space- and I’m in awe.
(The doors close! The elevator from Legend opens)
BRAD: You’d think since it’s a hotel she’d have been killed in her room, right? Classic setup. Housekeeping coming in to clean, finding a murder scene. I mean, that’s what you’d expect. But no. She was killed… In the Elevator.
(The doors close! The elevator from The Cop, the Clerk, and the Body opens)
MARYANNE: There is a DEAD MAN in this elevator! Oh my God. What are we-
(The doors close! The elevator from Hot Wheels opens)
WAVERLY: We’re trapped in here by design!?
(The doors close! The Elevator moves upwards, gaining in speed.)
TAL: Sound Escape Productions Presents: Someone Dies in This Elevator: A spoiler-driven anthology where no one is safe. Including you.
(The elevator we are in shuts down, detaches, and plummets, while a subtle, panicked heartbeat and breathing is heard and the wind picks up force from the speed.)
(Before we impact…. the trailer ends.)
[end trailer audio]
Wil: VALENCE is a serialized fiction podcast with discussions and depictions of struggles with mental health. You can check our show notes, or the transcripts on valencepod dot com for a full list of content warnings and their timestamps. It’s important to take care of yourself — especially here in New Candler.
[[theme music – bright, synthy beat with airy, flowing strings that fade into a brief moment of a darker synth more reminiscent of the Season 1 theme]]
Scene 1
INT. LIBRARY MEETING ROOM, MORNING
LIAM, GRACE, SARAH, FLYNN, and MAHIRA are sitting around the table, waiting to start the meeting. LIAM fidgets impatiently.
FLYNN is playing a game on his phone with the volume low but still audible. GRACE is tapping her foot. SARAH is clicking through the remote meeting setup on her laptop.
SARAH: Really wish this library’s internet had better security, but . . . it’ll have to do. I’ve got the call all set, just waiting for Elisha to–
ELISHA answers the call.
ELISHA: Hello? Hey, can you hear me ok?
LIAM: Loud and clear, Elisha. Thank you for waking up early to join us.
ELISHA: [laugh] Oh, I just haven’t gone to bed yet.
FLYNN: It’s . . . Elisha, it’s 5 in the morning where you are.
ELISHA: Yeah?
GRACE: Regardless, we only have this room reserved for an hour. Sarah?
SARAH: Yup, I’ve got an agenda so we can get through as much as possible. New business first, and then we’ll circle back to old business after. Flynn, you want to talk about the blog?
FLYNN: Yeah! It’s still very new, so the traffic is trickling in slowly, but we’ve got it out on a bunch of platforms and it’s definitely getting seen a little more each day.
ELISHA: It’s . . . a start, for sure. But I think we’re going to need a lot more people’s stories on there before it starts being taken seriously by anybody mainstream. You guys said you’re ok with me reaching out to Oscar, right?
MAHIRA: We’re ok with the idea of it, but we don’t know much about Oscar yet–remind me how you met him?
ELISHA: College, around the same time I met Nico. He . . . uh. He was part of this. . . Polycule isn’t the wrong word for it. Oscar, Nico, and two other guys. He’s a Slight, not super powerful, but his focus is light, and he was always really– [laugh] –really flashy about it. He’d–
LIAM: [cutting in, eager to change the topic] He sounds great! Wonderful! We should absolutely reach out to him. In the meantime–
SARAH: In the meantime, I want to hear more about what’s going on at Halo. Last time we talked, you said they were testing Havens built for homes.
MAHIRA: On people.
LIAM: Which . . . yes. Is, on its face, terrible. But I realized something during the last session I ran. I think — I think I can help these muses.
ELISHA: [skeptical noise]
SARAH: Elaborate?
LIAM: I think I can manage to teach them about their abilities. Surreptitiously. These volunteers come in multiple times, for testing different development phases of the devices. I’d see them again, try to gain their trust, and . . . help.
GRACE: Right under Reilley’s nose?
LIAM: Reilley’s office is on the top floor, so she’s almost never in that part of the building, and she’s often not in the building at all. I have yet to see her at all, now that I think about it . . .
I know this is risky but I think it’s worth it, to potentially get through to these muses, to mentor them, even if it’s only in a small way.
MAHIRA: [conflicted, but interested]
You sound a little like Luis right now.
LIAM: Is that a good thing?
FLYNN: Good, but kinda dangerous. You said Reilley’s never around, but . . . Noel is. You’ll have to avoid her noticing too. You’ll have to play by Halo’s rules enough to fly under the radar, which means you’re going to have to do things that are. That aren’t right.
LIAM: I think I have to accept that for now.
FLYNN: You’re not worried about getting used to doing those things? About it getting comfortable?
LIAM: [sidestepping the question] I have to try to help. I–I got into this to try and save Noel. I still want to try. But if I can do good for these other muses right now, then I don’t think I have the right to turn away just because it will also mean doing things that are . . . that I find reprehensible.
FLYNN: [sigh] I worry, is all. I know what you’re getting at. You want to save Noel. You want to do good. But this could break so many different ways.
LIAM’S INNER VOICE: Even he thinks you’ll turn into a monster. That you won’t mind turning into a monster.
FLYNN: If Noel notices what you’re doing, and it turns out she isn’t on your side yet–
LIAM: You weren’t there — the last test we did, well, I did–
LIAM’S INNER VOICE: Well, if they didn’t think you were compromised before . . .
ELISHA: [grimacing noise] They’ve got you doing tests on your own now?
LIAM: . . . yes. With supervision. Noel was on the other side of a two way mirror.
GRACE: Interesting. That feels fast, letting you have what’s basically one-on-one time with these volunteers.
MAHIRA: Do you think that’s a good thing or—
GRACE: Too soon to tell. But it definitely means something.
LIAM: [starting to get frustrated] Yes, well, the last test involved a volunteer who. Their pronouns. They were marked down wrong in this person’s file, and Noel’s reaction to my verifying the correct ones and updating the file. Something about it. It felt like she took down some of her walls with me. I think I’m getting somewhere with her.
MAHIRA: [gently] But if you’re not . . . or if one of the volunteers reports you to someone else, someone who doesn’t care about you at all–
LIAM: I know. I know. I need all of you to stop trying to handle me with kid gloves. I understand, and I know that there are ramifications to my choices now. But I’m telling you, her heart isn’t in this.
FLYNN: And you could be right.
LIAM: Oh.
FLYNN: You’ve just gotta be prepared in case that’s not how it turns out. And you need to prepare yourself for what this job is going to keep asking you to do. And maybe . . . maybe decide ahead of time where the ethical line is for you, so if you hit it, you know to get out no matter what.
LIAM: I will . . . try to bear that in mind. I promise. So long as you all trust me to know my own limits.
GRACE: That feels fair.
Scene 2
INT. Sarah’s room.
Sarah, Liam, and Flynn hang out while Sarah and Liam try out their code.
SARAH: Okay. You ready?
LIAM: I think so, actually.
FLYNN: So, how is this going to work?
LIAM: I’m going to read through some of the posts on The Icarus so I can get a sense of who I’m supposed to be marking. Once I’ve got something, I’ll let Sarah know.
SARAH: Once we’ve got that, I’ll run some code. We’ll have Liam tap into my computer, and tap into the post.
FLYNN: Okay. Um–I should–before you read them, Liam, there’s something you have to know.
LIAM’S INNER VOICE: Oh no.
FLYNN: So . . . one of the writers . . . wrote about your dad. He tried to attack her.
LIAMS’ INNER VOICE: That fucking bastard.
FLYNN: But that’s not all. He–so–he . . . Liam, your dad died.
LIAM: What?
FLYNN: It was a little bit ago. Probably just after he broke into our old apartment to confront you. It says he had a heart attack.
LIAM: Oh, how convenient for him and for Halo.
SARAH: Ha. My thoughts exactly.
FLYNN: Are–are you okay?
LIAM’S INNER VOICE: He had what was coming to him.
LIAM: Um. I, I think so. I don’t really feel . . . bad?
FLYNN: Yeah, no, I wouldn’t either. Fuck that guy.
SARAH: Seriously. There’s no reason to mourn him.
FLYNN: You can grieve if that’s what feels right, but if it’s not, like . . . yeah, nah.
LIAM: Then . . . yes. I think–I think I’m fine. Okay, Sarah. Let’s try this.
Vignettes from the blog:
[16 – SMITE – POPPET METRO AREA, AZ]
I was fourteen when I first started showing signs of magic. There wasn’t any specific event that triggered it. It just started happening. At first, we all thought the lights in the bathroom were messed up. I noticed pretty quickly that it only happened when I used the bathroom, though. And it always sent this weird static feeling up my spine when it happened. The jig was up when my little brother fell into one of the shadows like it had depth or something.
I’ll never forget the look on my mom’s face when my brother told her. It was terrifying. I knew she already thought of me as difficult. When I came out as nonbinary, she didn’t take it well. I tried to stop my brother, but he ran to her too quickly. He’d always defended me against my parents, but I think he was just really scared. I can’t really blame him. Either way, it led to me having another huge fight with my mom. She told me that the only way I could stay there was if I got a Halo. I tried to tell her about some of the pro-muse arguments I’d been seeing online, but she didn’t want to hear it. I got my Halo soon after that. My parents made me wear it everywhere, even to sleep.
It was around that time that I started noticing weird things coming up in targeted ads. I’ve always noticed targeted ads, but these were really specific, and they were things I only ever spoke about out loud. I started seeing ads for more Halos and Halo accessories, but I also started seeing ads for online therapy. The kind that’s anonymous, discreet. After a while, I started doing some experiments to see if my suspicions were right. I’d leave my phone at home, go to a friend’s house, and talk about being a muse. My friend would turn their phone and their computer off so we could make sure those weren’t factors either. While talking about being a muse, I’d add one really specific thing to the conversation. Like maybe I’d bring up how cool I thought Winnebagos are. How I thought it would be cool to travel around in a big RV.
Lo and behold, in the next couple of days, I started seeing ad after ad for buying RVs, renting RVs, and tiny houses–which are, like, just gentrified mobile homes. Then, I started seeing ads for cities. Tourist destinations. Then, I started seeing ads for collapsible batons and pepper spray. Then I started seeing ads for guns.
I tried to tell my parents about it, but they didn’t believe me, like usual. I told them I didn’t want to wear my Halo anymore, and things just got worse from there. I’m grateful I have an uncle who took me in. It’s been nice living with him, his husband, and their kids, but I still miss my own brothers a lot.
I wish people would pay attention to things like this. I wish Morgan Reilley didn’t have every news outlet wrapped around her pinky. I wish anyone cared about muses enough to stop and think about us for five seconds.
SFX: Liam magic
[34 – SLIGHT – WEST RUE, VT]
The purpose of these blog posts, according to the people I contacted to write an entry, is to give a voice to those who cannot openly come forward with their experiences. Anonymity is important; however, both the runners of the site and myself are aware that anonymity will be virtually impossible for this account.
I have not been incapable of sharing my story out of need for anonymity. I have been incapable of sharing my story because I have been blacklisted.
I am Hope Alexander. I wrote the piece “What Really Happens in Halo, Inc.’s Product Trials” for SIN. I started my research for the piece in 2017. The blog was posted March 2nd, 2018. It was taken down March 6th, 2018. I have documentation and evidence for every claim I will make in this follow-up blog post. I am currently seeking lawyers aligned with muse liberation. My contact information will be linked at the end of this piece.
I signed up for volunteer testing with Halo, Inc. using an online form linked to the front page of the Halo, Inc. online storefront. I filled out the form using my name, given the form said I would need to bring two forms of ID with me to the testing center if I were selected. The form had me fill out standard demographic information, as well as information about my abilities. It ended with a complete-the-drawing captcha.
I did the volunteer testing. It was fine, if weird. But that story’s already been told, and if you know much about how things are archived online, I’m sure you can still find it, even if they don’t want you to.
But instead of focusing on the testing, I want to talk about the things that were edited out of the piece without my consent. And I want to talk about what happened after the piece was taken down.
When I first started writing the blog post about the testing, I noticed my computer and phone acting up. My phone was about two years old at the time, but my laptop was brand new and hadn’t shown any signs of issues until I started writing this piece. My word processor stopped opening. It started deleting drafts. When I tried to do research, sites would show 404 errors, or my internet would crash. My emails stopped sending for about three days. The only sites I could access were big-box online stores and a few social media sites. None of these things happened for any of my friends, but they did happen to me no matter what phone or computer I tried to use.
After the piece was initially published, I received a glut of death threats. It was only a few hours before I was doxxed. I knew I’d be hit with some backlash and I tried to prepare myself, but my piece was so simple and straightforward that I didn’t think I’d be getting photos of the outside of my apartment from random numbers and emails. The management team at SIN suggested I get out of town and take a vacation away from social media, email, and work to let things blow over. I took them up on the offer and scheduled myself a long weekend in a pretty remote location. I figured I’d treat it like a writing retreat. I let my friends and family know where I was going, but I didn’t take my laptop. I took my phone, but I didn’t get great service.
SIN sent me the email saying they’d taken my piece down about half an hour after telling me I shouldn’t worry about checking work emails during my vacation.
On the second day of my retreat, I got a knock on my door, which was alarming. I wasn’t in a very accessible place. I immediately recognized Richard Alden when I looked through the peephole. I opened the door, because, I mean, he was already there. I guess I didn’t really know what else to do. But I’m not a complete fool–I started my recorder and put it on top of the fridge before I let him in. (I am not accepting any inquiries about this audio without first finding a lawyer.)
I didn’t let Richard Alden into my place. I stood in the doorway and asked him what he wanted. He said that he wanted to offer me a stipend for my troubles. He said that Halo, Inc. had nothing to do with my computer problems, but he understood my worries and how the situation impacted my work. He reminded me of the NDA I signed when signing up for the trial in the first place, in the terms and conditions that he insisted I hadn’t read. When I told him I had read the NDA and had said nothing in my piece that broke the contract, he disagreed. But then, he said that he was willing to let all of this go if I was willing to write a follow-up piece saying I had fabricated everything in the original blog. He offered me $120,000 for the follow-up piece.
I won’t say I wasn’t tempted. But I told him no. I told him that, instead, I was going to investigate more, and that he couldn’t stop me, and that he couldn’t silence me. He called me stupid and insignificant, another piece of evidence that muses shouldn’t be allowed to speak. I spat on him and tried to close the door on his face, but then the door jumped. I don’t know how else to explain it. I tried to close it, and then instead, it was open in a perfect–perfect–90-degree angle from its hinges. A thin string of dark blue magic tried to wrap me up, but I punched him in the face, and the thread fell. I ran to grab the recorder and my phone. While he was recovering, I started recording video on my phone and ran out the front door, closing it on him behind me.
I just kept running. I tried calling the nearby park ranger station, but I couldn’t get a signal for at least half an hour. When I finally did, they made sure I was safe in the station, but they didn’t believe anything I said. When I gave them directions to where I was staying, nobody was there, and nothing was out of line. It looked more organized and clean than when I’d arrived. I bought a plane ticket that night and returned home.
I saw recently that Richard Alden died from a heart attack in his DC home after the Palladide scandal. Good fucking riddance.
SFX: Liam magic
[79 – SLIGHT – NEW CANDLER, NC]
I started the trials with Halo, Inc. because they were offering a little money, and I thought a little more money would be nice. The rent is so high now. My retirement savings have been drying up quicker than I hoped they would.
The first Halos they made us wear hurt. I have burn marks on my neck from when they tried to make it a necklace. And I have burn marks on my wrists from when they started making the bracelets. I complained, but they just said the burns weren’t that bad and that I had signed a waiver. I felt stupid for complaining and I kept coming back for more tests. I just thought I could really use the money.
Things got worse when they started testing the Haven. The morning after the third test the first week they started testing, I couldn’t see anything. I went to my eye doctor but she said she couldn’t see anything wrong with my eyes. She recommended me to a few specialists. They couldn’t see anything wrong with my eyes either. They all said it might have been psychosomatic, but I told them that didn’t make sense.
Nothing has changed. I had to move in with my grandson, who is typing this while I talk. I think the tests are why I can’t see. Thank you for listening to my story.
SFX: Liam magic
Fade back to diegetic sound
LIAM: Flynn, these are—
LIAM’S INNER VOICE: Terrifying.
LIAM’S OTHER INNER VOICE: Inspiring.
LIAM: –haunting.
FLYNN: Yeah. Like, not gonna lie, it’s been pretty rough going through the submissions and reading what everyone has gone through. But it’s been really good to meet these people, and really good getting these stories out there. Sometimes they send along messages about how meaningful it was to finally be listened to. I dunno, it’s–it’s been really fulfilling? I don’t think I knew I would like this. I just kind of thought it should be done. But it feels really good.
LIAM: And you’re good at it.
FLYNN: Yeah.
LIAM: You love this, don’t you? Writing, editing. I didn’t know.
FLYNN: I didn’t know either. I mean, I never really liked writing when I was in school. But this is different.
LIAM: I think it’s spectacular.
FLYNN: Ugh, you sap.
LIAM: I’m proud of you.
FLYNN: Ugh! Shut up.
LIAM: Are you bashful about this?
FLYNN: No!!!
LIAM: [laughs]
FLYNN: It’s just cool to be good at something that like, actually makes a difference. The Icarus is small right now, but maybe it doesn’t always have to be. And maybe it can help people find hope or at least some validation.
LIAM: I think it already has.
Scene 3
INT. FIRECREEK, LATE MORNING
LIAM is sitting at a table in the corner, as removed from other customers as possible, waiting for GRACE. He already has his coffee. He sips it as he checks his phone messages.
LIAM: [impatient chuff] She said she’d be here by now. What could be keeping her? I can’t imagine she’d forget to set her–ah.
The bell over the door jingles as GRACE walks in. She pauses, spots LIAM, crosses to his table.
GRACE: [slightly out of breath] Thank you for waiting for me–the Crimson line wasn’t running today. The sign said “temporarily closed for repairs,” so I had to catch a bus.
LIAM: They shut it down on a Saturday? During the day?
GRACE: So you get why I was surprised.
LIAM: Maybe they’ll get it to stop catching on fire all the time.
GRACE: [laugh] I live in hope. Do you mind waiting while I get coffee?
LIAM: Not at all. I’ll be here.
GRACE: Thanks.
GRACE sets down her bag and crosses to the counter. LIAM’s phone chimes, he unlocks it and checks the message. A text from Zoe. We hear her read it in LIAM’s head.
ZOE: Last night was awfully fun. Wouldn’t mind if we tried that [one thing I mentioned]-
LIAM’S INNER VOICE: [embarrassed squawk]
ZOE: -but we might want to save that for when your roommates aren’t home. Kiss emoji. Wink emoji. Dancing lady emoji.
LIAM’S INNER VOICE: Well thank fuck you didn’t try and check that in front of Grace. Please try to behave as if this isn’t the first explicit text you’ve ever received in your life.
GRACE: [fading into the mix as Liam realizes she’s there] Liam? You’re staring at that phone very intently. Is everything alright?
LIAM: Oh! It–yes, I’m–everything’s very normal.
GRACE: . . . I see. Well. Then, good! [clears throat] Thank you for coming out to meet me on a Saturday morning. I’m sure you have other things you’d like to be doing now.
LIAM: It’s no trouble. I come here often anyway. But I am curious why you needed to meet with me.
GRACE leans down to shuffle with papers in her bag, pulls out a massive binder and places it on the table in front of her
GRACE: I know it’s been a while since the last time we talked about this, but I wanted to show you. I’ve been doing research into programs in other countries – support for magic u–. For muses. Education, safety training, but also in using their powers as part of everyday life. I know we’re not the only country that views muses with suspicion, but I wanted to see how things work in countries that do try to support their muse citizens.
. . . here.
GRACE slides the folder towards LIAM. He opens it, begins glancing through the papers.
LIAM: This is . . . Grace, this is–
GRACE: Not enough, I know. But it’s a start, and I hope it can be enough to get the ball [rolling]–
LIAM: No, no, that isn’t what I was going to say. It’s-
[slightly choked up] It’s more than I expected. More than I’d hoped, I think?
GRACE: Oh. I–I’m glad I could do this, then.
LIAM: Thank you.
GRACE: Of course. I’m happy to be part of the effort pushing this, but I don’t think I should be the face of it. Or the head of whatever department is eventually created. I would rather work more directly with individuals. I think of myself as a “people person”.
LIAM took a sip of his coffee at the wrong moment and chokes on it slightly at Grace’s description of herself
GRACE: Liam? Are you alright?
LIAM: [cough] Yes, sorry, wrong pipe.
GRACE: [knowing exactly what the fuck is up] Of course.
ASH: [incredulously] I have a . . . quint shot with almond milk for Grace?
GRACE pushes out her chair and stands
GRACE: That’s me. I’ll be right back.
END OF EPISODE 7
CREDITS
Valence is a Hug House production. You can find more information at Hug House dot Productions.
VALENCE is created by me, Wil Williams. This episode was written by Katie Youmans and Wil Williams, with creative consulting by Caleb Del Rio and Elena Fernández Collins. This episode was edited and sound designed by Wil Williams. This episode was directed by Anne Baird and Katie Youmans, and produced by Anne Baird.
This episode was performed by, in order of appearance:
-Josh Rubino as Liam and Liam’s Inner Voices,
-Jordan Cobb as Sarah Harris,
-Maddison Dabbs-Petty as Elisha Dawes,
-Katie Chin as Grace Chen,
-Caleb del Rio as Flynn Velasco,
-Ishani Kanetkar as Mahira Varma,
-Tag Natsuki as Blog Contributor 1
-Emily VanDerWerff as Blog Contributor 2,
-Leslie Joyce as Blog Contributor 3,
-Miracle Fonmanu as Zoe Kafoa, and
-Tal Minear as Ash
-Our theme music for season 2 was written and performed by Travis Reaves,
-with production from Raul Vega.
-Other music is provided by Loyalty Freak Music, a trans composer who we love and who makes music people can use for free. You can find their work at loyaltyfreakmusic.com.
-You can find our full cast list and information on how to support this indie podcast on valencepod dot com. There, you can find a link to our Patreon, where you can access the full version of the planetarium narration from this episode.
-Until next time, protect your magic.