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Episode six of The Books of Thoth is here.  Imagine a world where Buddhism, rather than Christianity, became the dominant religion of Europe.  A world where Buddhist temples in Scandinavia and Frankland also host images of gods such as Thor, Odin, and even Loki. We shall hear a folktale about a monk called Ketil, and how he helped spread Buddhism to Northern Europe. But more than that, he also drew the attention of the gods of Asgard themselves.

A big thank you to Scott R. McKinley, Patrick Heinzen, Faye Holliday, Juan Cruz III, and Tim Stephenson for helping bring my alternate history folktale to life.  

I’ve always been fascinated by the cultural aspects of alternate history.  That is, what new cultures, or changes to existing cultures, arise as a result of changing history.  I’ve always had a deep love of mythology.  So, I suppose it was only natural that I’d find a way to combine my two great loves.  

I’ve always found the idea of Buddhism spreading to Europe to be particularly intriguing.  We have found Buddhist artifacts in Scandinavia, due to the various trade routes that the Norse were part of.  There was also the so-called Buddha Bucket, but that one has been debunked.  No, it wasn’t made by Buddhist Vikings.  It was actually a depiction of a Celtic deity.  

Still, I’ve always wondered what it would have been like if those artifacts had meant something.  It might seem odd that a warrior culture like the Norse would embrace Buddhism, but then, couldn’t you say the same of them embracing Christianity?  And it isn’t like Buddhist haven’t gotten into their own share of wars over the years. 

I’m also very pleased with how my cast of gods turned out.  Thor, Odin, and Sif played things more or less straight.  But then you have Loki acting like a zany cartoon character, and he knows it.  And of course, big props to Scott R. McKinley for being a fantastic narrator. 

The Books of Thoth is hosted on RedCircle:

https://redcircle.com/shows/the-books-of-thoth/ep/827886b4-5e87-42b8-8d8f-725cb3cb59b7

The Books of Thoth has finally returned for its fifth episode. For those just joining the fun, The Books of Thoth is an audio drama anthology. You will find stories of past, future, and worlds that could have been.

This episode is “Welcome to the Xenarium.” I’m taking us all to an indoor alien zoo. We’ll explore the wonders of the cosmic wilderness right here on Earth. The staff are friendly and very knowledgeable. Some of them are really out of this world. You will feed filterwings in the Skyhook Gallery. You’ll meet animals the feast on radiation in the Starship Gallery. And we can’t forget the adorable metamorph mana gliders. You’ll do all that, and a lot more, at the Xenarium.

This was a somewhat autobiographical episode. I work at the Shreveport Aquarium for my day job. And all the characters are played by my coworkers. They’re all, more or less, playing fictionalized versions of themselves. Most of the galleries and animals in this episode have some analog at Shreveport Aquarium.

There are a couple in-jokes. For example, the music that appears in the Blackhouse segment is the exact same music we play in our stingray gallery. However, I also made sure the episode was accessible, and an enjoyable experience, for everyone.

I have always been fascinated by the concept to second-person perspective. I’m a big fan of Twilight Histories. This episode was something of an homage to Twilight Histories. So, I thought I’d try my hand at a second-person narration.

This was also the first episode I recorded with an in-person cast. I rented some sessions at Cam’s Recording Studio in downtown Shreveport. My cast all say they had a good time and would gladly do it again.

The Books of Thoth is hosted on RedCircle:

https://redcircle.com/shows/the-books-of-thoth/ep/4e848620-0ae2-4088-acae-029cbbef1596

And here’s the link to The Books of Thoth’s webpage. Had the links for everywhere you can find The Books of Thoth:

Episode four of The Books of Thoth has finally arrived. For those of you just joining the fun, The Books of Thoth is an audio drama anthology. You’ll hear stories of the past, the future, and alternate worlds.

“It Was The Best Day Ever” follows Citizen 123192-A. He lives in a grim totalitarian dystopian society known as The PostState. A boot in the face forever. But he doesn’t let it get him down. In fact, he’s about to tell us about how much he loves life in The PostState. He’ll burn books, rat out his fellow Citizens to the authorities, and maybe even eat a ration bar or two. It’s sure to be the best day ever!

I would like to take a moment to thank my cast for helping make this episode possible. Thank you to Jay Callan, Cameron Gergett, Melissa Bowens, Tiffany Perdue, Julie Hoverson, Ed Haynes, James Barnett, and Karim Kronfli.

I include several references to classic dystopian fiction in this episode. See how many that you can spot. This episode was my longest to date. Almost twice as long as my previous episodes. I certainly hope it was worth the wait.

The Books of Thoth is hosted on RedCircle: https://redcircle.com/shows/6701d0b5-6b14-4b76-992d-02f391b5cf42

Attention everyone, the wait is over at long last.  The Books of Thoth has a brand new episode for your listening enjoyment.  In fact, this one is a double feature.  Two stories for the price of one!  Well, that’s still free either way, but you get the idea.

“Rituals” is our first tale.  A tragicomedy of errors.  A gentle reminder to always perform your bedtime rituals. You never know when they might save your life. 

For this one I was trying to see if I could write a horror story.  I tend to be afraid of more mundane things that ghosts and goblins.  And the story reflects this.  I was also paying homage to The Illustrated Creepypasta Theater.  It is one of my favorite YouTube Channels, and is run by a user named TheHolderOfTales.  I also deliberately mimicked the less than ideal audio quality of his videos.  

“Teleporter” then takes us to a war-torn planet. A doctor must make a hard medical decision. Will she and her patient be killed in a massive storm? Or will they take their chances with the teleporter?

This one kind of works as a companion piece to “Rituals” as it also came from a place of fear.  I would be very wary about using teleportation pods if they were real.  Way I see it, I’d be killed, and a duplicate of me would be created on the other end.  But I also wonder, what would be a scenario where such a person might seriously consider using such a device?  Thus, a story was born. 

A big thank you to Julie Hoverson of 19 Nocturne Boulevard or hosting this double feature.  And to Hannah Preisinger for narrating “Teleporter.” I would also like to thank all of my listeners for sticking with me despite the gap between episodes.  I promise not to take half a year to get episode four to you. 

Here is a link to the episode on RedCircle: https://redcircle.com/shows/the-books-of-thoth/ep/92eb58dc-3590-4e75-a756-ad4c6f4ae817

Here is a link to 19 Nocturne Boulevard: http://www.19nocturneboulevard.net

And here is a link to The Books of Thoth’s webpage.  It serves as a hub for all the places you can listen to The Books of Thoth, as well as the transcripts for each episode: https://booksofthoth.carrd.co

Hello everyone. I’ve got another call to action for all of you. As you might, or might not know, @proserpinapark is currently funding not one, but two new seasons coming out later this year. I’m calling on all of you to do your part to help out.

So, some of you might be wondering what is Residents of Proserpina Park. Why, it is a monster of the week, anime-inspired audio drama. Think like Percy Jackson meets Pokémon meets Scooby-Doo, with a dash of Jackie Chan Adventures thrown in. Throw all that good stuff into the blender, and you’ve got an excellent audio drama.

Residents of Proserpina Park follows a young woman named Alina who discovers a park that is, basically, a nature reserve for mythological creatures. Each episode follows Alina and the gang meeting a new creature from across World Mythology and Folklore. At the same time, they are try to uncover the mysteries of the park itself.

One thing I love about RoPP is shear variety of creatures. We got creatures Filipino Mythology, Māori Mythology, Lenape Folklore, Aztec Mythology, Lithuanian Folklore, and a whole lot more.

Now for a bit about the people who make RoPP possible. Series creator Angela Yih has worked on podcasts for Realm, Pod People, and more. Their credits include shows such as Overleaper, Echo Park, Blood Forest, and Harley Quinn and the Joker: Sound Mind!

The point being, Angela knows their stuff. But not just the technical stuff. They’ve also got quite a few voice acting credits under their belt. Angela has lent their voice to works such as Dreamscape Highway, Mx. Bad Luck, Omega Star 7, and even The Books of Thoth.

And what about the rest of the gang? We are over fifty percent people of color, fifty percent female, and I’m autistic. We have performers from all walks of life, and we’re all very passionate about bringing these mythological stories to life for your listening pleasure.

But okay, what’s in it for you? I’m very glad you asked. You see, you’ve got six different options to choose from. Or you can donate a custom amount with no perks. But if you do what perks, here’s what your options are…

$5 - Tourist

All the shoutouts! Shoutouts on social media, on our website, and in the last episode of season 4 for being an awesome supporter

$15 - Visitor

Early access to ad-free episodes a week in advance as well as all the perks from the Tourist Tier

$30 - Local

A digital copy of the official Residents of Proserpina Park Light Novel, which is a collection of short stories focused on the characters from the show, and all the perks from the previous tiers.

$50 - Member

A physical copy of the official Residents of Proserpina Park Light Novel plus other merchandise and all the perks from the previous tiers.

$100 - Resident

Learn what it’s like to be on the show or work on an audio drama. Work with Angela Yih and be featured in a bonus episode in season 5 as well as all the perks from the previous tiers!

$300 - VIP

Become an executive producer on Residents of Proserpina Park and be credited in season 4 and 5! Determine a creature for season 6 as well as all the perks from the previous tiers.

So far we have raised $696, and I contributed $306 out of that. But you don’t have to contribute as much as I did. Small drops fill the bucket, and every little bit helps. If you aren’t financially able to help, then I would only ask you help spread the word, and encourage others to pitch in. We can all do our part to make season four and season five the best seasons of RoPP yet.

So, you have heard the call the action. Now the ball is in your court. Do your part out to help the Residents of Proserpina Park Indiegogo campaign however you are able.