Feeling really overwhelmed with all the work I have going on so I’m taking a break to talk about the GL I read recently. It’s in the Book Log now, which I guess is going to become a Books and Manga and Webcomics Log? Cool. But yeah, my Hobonichi came in today, my brand new client already lined up 2 more clients for me, and I’m taking all of this as a sign that I should seize the day or whatever and start an LLC and become an independent contractor. Hurray for taking advantage of tax breaks, I guess? I’m already overwhelmed just in the planning stage, but I do better when I’m super busy anyways. I think I just fear the unknown, but if I fail, I mean, what is there to lose, really? Whatever! Fuck it, I’m not getting any younger! Worst case scenario, I can just get a normie job. Or hell, go back to school and finally fulfill my MLIS dreams (and wrack up even more student debt, who even cares anymore).
Oh, also, BSC and I are cool again. I had to go break up another skirmish he got into, though. I call his nemesis “Bullycat,” even though I realistically know that cat probably is very sweet and BSC may well be the instigator. I just think he’s so much bigger than BSC, he should pick on someone his own size!! The kittens have recently been dubbed “Licorice” and “Nutmeg.” Nutmeg’s mother (I think), we call Caramel. And BSC is, of course, Butterscotch. So we’re sticking to a theme, lol. We still have to think of names for the rest of el corillo, though. But they have been hanging out a lot here. I’ve been trying to feed BSC earlier in the day so that his food won’t get stolen, but his dumb ass meows so loud they all come running as soon as he starts because they know I might feed him. He is his own worst enemy!!
Anyways, in the interest of saving money, I cancelled my Spotify Premium and a few other luxuries, which means I’ve had to decide which true crime podcasts I should listen to on YouTube instead. I’ve always felt a little morally conflicted about true crime podcasts, on top of just feeling like a normie for listening to them, but I always just saw it as a guilty habit. But I’m now realizing I actually don’t like any of them on top of it all? It’s a matter of which ones I dislike the Least. And I guess it’s really just a habit thing more than a “I like this” thing. So, anyways, here is a list of the ones I hate from hate the least to hate the most:
Redhanded: Suruthi is pretty and has a nice voice, but God is she condescending and her “I’m a minority but I don’t call everything racist” complex irritating. We get it, you are super different and special and not like other SJWs, you have conservative friends and cancel culture is so bad blah blah. It’s like I don’t even disagree with her, but the way she talks about it is annoying. Hannah is cool, but I definitely think she is mildly annoying and doesn’t know as much about Asia as she thinks she does. I also hate how much they both whine about men. But that’s because I want better for straight women. I did think it rocked when Suruthi said she left a date when some dude told her he liked guro though. BUT, overall, their jokes are the funniest, they seem to have the most dedication to research, and despite their continuous crassness, they’re pretty level-headed.
Generation Why: Boring, but the research seems decent and there’s no weird off-color jokes to roll your eyes at. They’re just…yeah, boring. Not much else to say, I suppose.
Crime Junkie: I know, I know, controversy over the title, plagiarism allegations, etc., but the length of the episodes is good, and they’re easy to listen to. I am truly shocked that Brit hasn’t been coached on acting yet. She sounds so, so fake in all her responses it almost overshadows how fake Ashley sounds. Like it’s so scripted it hurts. But they were one of the first TC podcasts I listened to (like many), and I think there’s a reason for that. They’re not bad at weaving narratives and making episodes that are easy to follow.
And That’s Why We Drink: I didn’t get why this was shilled so much on Reddit because I thought one of the host’s constant interjecting about being sooo gay was obnoxious in the first episode I heard, so then I didn’t listen for another year. Apparently that host identifies as nonbinary, I later found out? Anyways,although I like the idea of a podcast that dives into paranormal and true crime topics, I feel like it’s a slog if you’re disinterested in one. These episodes are long, like you really have to be invested to hang in there the whole time. And I guess I just didn’t find anything in it that was special, but it’s nice to have on in the background sometime.
My Favorite Murder: Meh, it’s fine, just kind of same-like. It bleeds into the background, you know, it’s like the most mid TC podcast you can think of.
Rotten Mango: Torn on how to rank this because dear God, Stephanie is so annoying. I can’t stand her extreme giggly Valley Girl thing, I don’t think it’s authentic, I think it’s heavily affected and it doesn’t mesh well with the subject matter. She’s also so absurdly clickbaity–it’s obvious when you compare her coverage of a certain case to other podcasts (like the Lucy Letby case), that she just hones in on one detail, sensationalizes it, and then spins a whole specific narrative around this one detail. It feels exploitative, like a scummy journalist. That said, she covers Asian cases that no one else knows about and provides insight into topics that other people can’t. I’m not even going to touch on her YouTube drama with Nikocado Avocado or the plagiarism allegations. Needless to say, she’s a mess.
Last Podcast on the Left: I seriously don’t get why this is hyped up so much. I really don’t. I hate this podcast. I hate it so much. I have tried to listen to it so many times. I hate the weird Chapo-esque bro cadence the hosts have, I hate how they can’t talk about a female murderer without spending half an hour debating how fuckable she is, I hate how they barely talk about the case, I hate how they can’t even feign feelings about anything, it is soulless and obnoxious, I cannot stand it. The Casey Anthony episode was so bad. I guess the research is fine? I haven’t gone back to check.
Morbid: My beef with Morbid is very personal. I won’t start because if I do, I won’t stop. I used to listen to them when they were new, like I was very much an OG “weirdo” back when I was still in college. So I sort of have a soft spot for them in a way, but it also means the betrayal hurts worse. I just find them unfunny, tryhard, bad at research, very invested in specific narratives, unprofessional, insensitive, etc. Alaina clearly thinks Ash is too stupid to live and treats her accordingly, but Alaina is, well, stupid. I think they had a good thing going in the beginning in terms of storytelling and hitting the right conversational beats, but I think they got too famous and now they’re totally insufferable. Unlistenable even.
If you have any recommendations, send them my way…but really, I should probably be listening to better stuff anyways. Well, I guess it’s time to get back to work and try not to die! There’s so much to do…