Classics 13 (EP 192) - Rangifer Volans

[strawman]

Update (Saturday, December 20th, 2014): Drabbleclassics 13 - Rangifer Volans
Feature: Rangifer Volans by Tim Pratt
Drabble: Zuzu’s Bell by Mur Lafferty
Poem: 'Twas the Night (mp3) by Norm Sherman
Genres: Comedy Drabbleclassics Horror Strange
Original Episode: 192



Saturday, December 25th, 2010
In early December, Brad Miro walked into the office of his partner, Dr. John Estes, and said, "I've got our next target. It's perfect. The public is going to love it."

Episode Art: Bo Kaier
A Drabblecast original story.


Twabble: “ I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus, and it became suddenly clear why I was the single teenager sporting a fluffy white beard. ” by CLP

[strawman]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
8 ways from un...be...lieveable.
Ars gratia artis.

[Algernon Sydney is Dead]

One good thing about travelin'... Got caught up on weeks worth of Drabblecasts.

This one was a doozy, top-notch all around. Tim's story, and Norms telling of it, were masterpieces -- nicely funny too.

The "'Twas the Night" riff was solid Normy good... er, entertainment.

Liked the Drabble, but the plot seemed a stretch. Hard to believe that one of Hell's Bells would be found in Bedford Falls. Or was that "Bedford Falls from Grace"?

[swamp]

Wow! Just when I thought I had my nominees for best of 2010 figured out. The Brad character reminds me of a story I wrote once where Christopher Robin had grown up and had the ability to manifest things from his imagination. However, Mr. Pratt's story far surpasses mine. Fun. Fun. Fun. With two twists that didn't feel at all gimmacky.

[tbaker2500]

The music production this episode was truly excellent, Norm. Really, really top notch work.

[pir8capn]

This Drabblecast, the Night Before Christmas intro, and Mur's Drabble had me literally cheering and laughing like a maniac while simultantously attempting to commute and juggle a hastily prepared breakfast-on-the-go. First thing I had to do when I hit the office was to A) register for the forums and B) tell you what an absolute treat this particular Drabblecast was.

They're all great but this one knocked it out of the park. Norm, It's great to meet someone who has a similar sense of humor, who is so talented at production, and who has such a great eye for really enjoyable fiction.

Now to go register for Mur's site so I can tell her that I was practically blind from laughing at Zuzu's Bell.

[Unblinking]

Great story! I liked the interaction between the two men working together, and the hidden animosity stewing under John's surface.

The twists totally caught me off guard. John had underestimated him because he's uneducated, but just because he doesn't have a degree doesn't mean he can't be clever. And I didn't think of the time-freeze consequence until John did, and then I felt a deep chill at the horror that this man's future will be, well at least until he clubs Brad to death.

[swamp]

The music production this episode was truly excellent, Norm. Really, really top notch work.

I heartily concur! If you don't mind me asking, where do you you get your music, Norm? I don't want to ruin the magic or anything. I'm just curious since I am starting to produce a bit myself.

[normsherman]

The music production this episode was truly excellent, Norm. Really, really top notch work.

I heartily concur! If you don't mind me asking, where do you you get your music, Norm? I don't want to ruin the magic or anything. I'm just curious since I am starting to produce a bit myself.

musicalley.com
podsafeaudio.com
royaltyfreemusic.com
http://www.royaltyfreeclassicalmusic.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
magnatune.com
beatsuite.com
stockmusic.com
also frequently lay synth and keyboard tracks down myself from home or compose sections on Finale. will occasionally snag short snips from ambient music in my library that licensing isn't available for anywhere because they are just too perfect not to use.

[Etaan]

The music production this episode was truly excellent, Norm. Really, really top notch work.

Even more than the story itself, this is what I noticed when I listened the second time. Song selection, changing sound levels and incorporating the music to become part of the story - it's your best work that I can recall, Norm. I literally jumped at the "wrong" sound of the rifle firing.

Algernon, I'm not familiar with the Hell's Bells concept. I just took the story to mean that Lucifer happened to be the (fallen) angel to get his wings that time. Are there particular bells that need to be rung in order for that to happen?

Finally, welcome to the forums, pir8capn. I think your description of this episode as a treat is spot on. Chock full of pure enjoyment from beginning to end.

[Algernon Sydney is Dead]

Algernon, I'm not familiar with the Hell's Bells concept. I just took the story to mean that Lucifer happened to be the (fallen) angel to get his wings that time. Are there particular bells that need to be rung in order for that to happen?

Of course! The ratio of bells rung to angel candidates is currently 7013 to 1. If extra bell-rings rolled over onto fallen-angel candidates, then we would be flooded with lawyers, publicists, and bureaucrats!

We also know that, normally, the bells of Hell tolled to signal the arrival of a wicked person when they died. (Part of the origin of the old phrase "Hell's bells and cockle shells." "Cockle shells" was slang for a goody-two-shoes.) So Zuzu's bell must have been damn special.

Mandatory "Tubular bells" link (extended dance mix).

[themorg]

Only problem with anything on this great show was predators building anything. Their one sided ideology of "the hunt" would not let them take the time to build and do that kind of labor.

[mrund]

Wow, yes! I love the D-cast (it's the only podcast I make a steady monthly donation to), but this was awesome even by D-cast standards.

Norm, could you please put the Lovecraftian Christmas poem up for us here in text? I'd like to feature it on my blog (if I may) and send a bunch of my archaeo-science-skepticism-lovecraftian readers over to the Drabblecast.

[strawman]

Lyrics are posted in the Bardle thread.

[mrund]

Ah, excellent, thank you. Here's the blog entry:

http://scienceblogs.com/aardvarchaeolog ... _claws.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Betadog]

Loved this episode, listened to it twice in a row while cooking some baby back ribs.

[Unblinking]

Algernon, I'm not familiar with the Hell's Bells concept. I just took the story to mean that Lucifer happened to be the (fallen) angel to get his wings that time. Are there particular bells that need to be rung in order for that to happen?

That's what I thought too. There's an old Christmas movie, is it "It's a Wonderful Life" perhaps, in which a kid says "Every time a bell rings an angel gets its wings." I got the impression that this wing-getting is a random selection process, and there must just be a buttload of wingless angels up there that caused the delay of Lucifer finally regrowing his.

[strawman]

As I understand it, Lucifer and his fallen cohorts are not in the wing line. That is why Lucifer despairs, hoping every year that God will somehow be distracted just once. The connection between Zuzu's silver bell and Lucifer's wings is inferred.
How appropriate that an HPL-Twas The Night dtory be accompanied by a HPL-Wonderful Life drabble.

[Richmazzer]

outstanding show, this is superlative drabblecast here.
Twas the Night was, (and I believe this word is way overused these days but not at all in this case) brilliant. Seriously. Norm again bringing his phenom rhyming skills to the table (you knew it was coming from the first line ended with freaking 'edifice'!) on the hilariously overuse of lovecrafty purple prose. And the musical scoring was wonderful, worth listening to again just to pick out jngle bells and others in a minor key.

Mur's Drabble, hilarious. One of the best in a long time.

Tim's story was extraordinarily entertaining. DC and Pratt clearly have a passionate bro'mance going on if Pratt is basically writing fanfic for the podcast. Really really loved this story and this entire episode

[tbaker2500]

I'm forgetting already. Did it ever say what a Rangifer Volans was? If not, what is it?