Season 1 Q&A - Part 2
Travelling Light S01Q&A Part Two Transcript
[Title music: rhythmic electronic folk.]
H.R. Owen
Travelling Light, Season 1 Q&A. Part Two.
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Hero: So this actually, um, Mothmanjon asked how the response to Travelling Light has been different to the response to Monstrous Agonies. Monstrous Agonies had so much like, real… Like, very transparent metaphor. [laughs] Like, it was not a particularly subtle show. And I think that led to a really strong emotional connection from a lot of people.
And while we have had a few people who are very into Travelling Light and they are all wonderful people and I love them very much, but because it's not speaking quite so directly to- to people's real lived issues? I think the response has been less high emotion, but also like, in a lot of ways, more thoughtful? Like people engaging with the idea and the- The- Almost the thought experiment of it, rather than having this like, real big emotional reaction of like, “Oh my God, I'm sobbing this- This was everything that I needed personally to hear this week!” You know?
Matt: No, no. I suppose it's like, obviously Monstrous Agonies was an advice show, so people were going there for advice through metaphor. [Hero makes agreeing noises] Whereas Travelling Light, yeah, it's not so much that. We're just trying to like… I wouldn't say we're trying to do big questions, we're just trying to ask some interesting ones. In the same way that we have a lot of, um… The stuff that we both like in our day to day life. [laughing] It's not quite the same, but we both really like the original Twilight Zone, just in terms of like, those kind of just silly questions and like, they don't have to be taken too seriously.
Hero: [Rod Serling impression] What if a guy got really [bleep]-ed over? Wouldn't that be weird?
Matt: Yeah or like- You know, I think those are the ones that people remember, but there's such, like, oddball episodes. And sometimes our archive entries can be just a bit like that, where it's like, let's… Let's talk about this culture and what this culture could look like. And like, yeah, we don't really come out either way on it. It can just be like, it's just asking a question.
Hero: Yeah. Or you're just exploring a bit. You're just having...
Matt: Yeah. “What do you- What do you think?” Like, I think about the… Was it the landlord one? You know, the landlord planet.
Hero: [both laughing] The landlord planet.
Matt: Just like this idea that the culture primarily rents and they shame landlords into looking after properties and stuff. And it's just, it's an interesting idea of, like, mob rule around, like a-a renting system?
Hero: Right.
Matt: I think it's asking some interesting questions in terms of like, the idea of shaming as a form of protest and like, how much power tenants actually have over their landlords that we just kind of take for granted.
Hero: But also, you know, I- I really like that that is one interpretation that you can take where you can say like, oh, it's- it's about collective action. It's about coming together and finding the power that you do have and all of this kind of stuff. And I think you can also ask real questions about like, is shame useful? Is face and saving face important? How important is that? How do we relate that to our behaviour? Is doing good because you're shamed into it still good? You know, like those are interesting questions.
And I like that…That… You know, Monstrous Agonies was very like, the whole structure of Monstrous Agonies led you to believe that the Presenter was always right and that their advice was correct. And we… I didn't spend a lot of time pulling at that, really. Uh. You know, I didn't really spend a lot of time engaging with that idea. Um, I think that would be an interesting show, but it's- it's- It's not the one I wrote! [laughs]
Um, whereas I think, you know, you can come away from, from Travelling Light and be like, “OK, I know the Traveller seemed fine with this, but am I fine with this?? Um, and that's something that I-I hope to get to a bit more in Season Two, of being like, you're listening to somebody's letters home to their community.
Matt: Yeah, they're- They're- They're curated, like.
Hero: Yeah.
Matt: Someone is, you know. Someone is transcribing them.
Hero: Yeah. And like, that's not to say that we're going to go like- We're going to pull the rug out from everyone in Season Two and actually like. [aggressive voice] “Actually the Traveller is a big fashy bastard!” [laughs]
Matt: No! It's just- I think it's, um. That idea of someone coming from quite an isolated space. Not- Not so much that they've been, like, kept away. It's just that. I liken it to the idea of like moving away from home to go to university like, how that changes your perspective like, both socially, politically and like, just in- You know, just overall, um, awareness of the world. So, you know, and there's some uncomfortable truths that a lot of us, I'm sure, throughout our life have to face now and again where it's like, “Oh!” [laughs] “Oh, that wasn't great!”
Anonymous asks what's your favourite/least favourite episodes? Um, I already said my least favourite, which was the... the hands.
Hero: Ah but that's the art. What about the episode?
Matt: No but I think that counts though!
Hero: Oh, you don't like my- You don't like my episode?
Matt: No, I didn't, I said I didn't like- [simultaneously] I didn't like the art-
Hero: [simultaneously] Please note, Mr McDyre, I will take offence no matter what episode you pick! [both laugh]
Matt: I didn't- I didn't- I do like the episode from what I remember, but I don't- I don't like the art. So that kind of colours the whole episode for me, unfortunately. My favourite episode is the one at the puppet show though, because I like your voices. They're very fun.
Hero: Thank you. I love playing little kids.
Matt: Yeah.
Hero: I always play the same little kid. It's always just like, a gap-toothed little girl. [Matt laughs] Very excited about meeting people.
Matt: That's my favourite episode. You're, um. You're one for the robot. The robot monk is like…
Hero: That was such a good entry. That was such a good submission.
Matt: It's, like, surprisingly spooky for how- [simulateanously] How- How-
Hero: Yeah!
Matt: I wouldn't even say it's written that way. It just comes across as like-
Hero: It's real- No, because it was written spooky. Because that was one that was-
Matt: Oh was it? Sorry.
Hero: Yeah. That was almost the whole submission. Um, and so I read it and I was like, [shuddering and laughing] “Ooh, this is weird! I like it!” Um, it was a lot of fun.
I really enjoyed doing the... the frogs repeating themselves? That was Episode 15. They were actually based on a short story that I wrote last year, year before? That was like a scary, like a horror story, which is now- Has been recorded for Someone Just Like You, the-the podcast. And Méabh de Brún read it. Um. Because she's perfect. So that's the- the really scary version of the story that in Travelling Light became just, um… [laughing] Just silly frogs! Silly frogs, upsetting people! [laughs]
Matt: It's a very- It's a very good story. I think it's one of my favourites of yours.
Hero: My least favourite… I don't think I went far enough in Episode 38 with the people on that generation ship?
Matt: Yeah.
Hero: Like, when I was writing it, I was like, “Oh, this is great. This is so, like, nuanced and like, oh, they think that they're all in the right but actually, like when you look at it, it's kind of creepy.” But I don't think I pushed that enough. So I, you know, I think I… I would have liked to make them a bit… A bit weirder and a bit more like, “Ooh, I'm not… Not sure about that.” But I did still like it and I thought it was a really fun entry.
Matt: No, I think it's- I think it was good. Um. I get what you're saying, but I think there is a risk that you could go too far with that. Because I don't think they're- I don't think they're inherently a horrible…
Hero: No…
Matt: It's a weird- It's a weird group of people, obviously, but I don't think it's like…
Hero: I don't think they're moustache twiddling evil.
Matt: No, I think they've just kind of fallen into something, like.
Hero: And they can't quite get out of it now.
Matt: Yeah. I remember drawing Episode Eight. I don't remember particularly like, loving it.
Hero: Episode Eight's the orchid.
Matt: I just, I think there's, there's some good character stuff there from what I remember. But I think just in terms of an entry, I was like, “Yeah, this is OK.”
Hero: “That's fine.” [laughing] That was one that I wrote from scratch! [both laugh] Which is probably good. It's probably good that you're not slagging off something that one of our beloved listeners slaved away over.
Matt: No, exactly.
Hero: Just one that I slaved away over! [laughs] Uh, Mothmanjon asks, “What proportion of the submissions are ideas versus a few lines versus full entries to the archive?” So, full entries are the rarer ones. We don't usually get someone who's written the whole thing start to finish. In terms of ideas versus a few lines, wuite often people will submit just a bunch of vibes that- that they- that they want to do?
So I'm thinking about like, the spa planet, which was… I think Snootleboop, uh, sent that in? And that was actually out of a- Uh, from a conversation that we had on the Monstrous Productions Discord server, [slipping into a smarmy professional voice] which you can join by signing up at ko-fi.com/monstrousproductions. [laughs]
Matt: [in the same voice] For as little as £1 a month.
Hero: [laughing] You're on it. You got it. Um, yeah. So it was, uh, you know, just a lot of ideas of, like, different bathing cultures and different species and the way that they relax and all this kind of stuff. Or like the, the tree submission was like fully – and I say this with love and affection – fully a side and a half of A4 of just tree facts. [both laugh] Um, and, and permission to take as much or as little from that as, uh… as I desired!
So. Yeah. So it's it's a real mix. We get far fewer… With Monstrous Agonies, we used to get quite a few very, very short prompts. So it was like, “Gorgon, no friends.” And you're like, oh! [beat] Let's go! [laughs] Whereas um, these are usually a bit more rounded out because it's usually that somebody's got an idea that they're interested in exploring rather than they've written a full entry.
Does that answer that question? [pause] You're nodding. They can't hear you nod, my love. [both laugh]
Matt: I said yeah, afterwards!
Hero: OK. You've got to say. “Yes, nod, nod.”
Matt: “Yes. Nodding action.” [Hero laughs] Um. So we've got some quickfire ones here. This is from Matthew. He says, uh, do space drugs exist?
Hero: Yeah. It's a whole galaxy, baby!
Matt: Are they. Are they legal?
Hero: Some of them are. Some of them aren't.
Matt: OK.
Hero: It's a- It's a whole galaxy!
Matt: Yeah, of course they would exist.
Hero: Of course there's space drugs. Sprugs.
Matt: Do we have multiple or do we just have like…
Hero: What, spice? [laughs]
Matt: Yeah just, like Star Wars where it's just, everyone's taking spice. [laughs]
Hero: Um. I think that has to be multiple. Because you've got so many different species that would be affected differently. We already know that there's alcohol.
Matt: Yeah.
Hero: And you've drawn a couple of people smoking. You drew Duytren with her [cool voice] very cool cigarillo.
Matt: [cool voice] Mm. Yeah.
Hero: Yeah. Uh, the thing about Travelling Light is that there's, uh, absolutely anything you want, if you can put it in a submission and- and convince me to put it in an episode. [laughs] If you want to do an episode about drugs… We'll see! [both laugh] We'll see how we feel about that!
Matt: You write the entry, we'll see how we get on.
Hero: Yeah.
Matt: Next one from Snazzycrow. Uh. Favourite colour? Be as specific as possible.
Hero: Yellow.
Matt: Yellow.
Hero: Nice yellow.
Matt: Ummm… Oh, what's my favourite...
Hero: Quickfire, Matthew, quickfire!
Matt: Well, you took forever on that last one! I don't know. I like a turquoisey kind of colour, you know, like a kind of a…
Hero: Teal?
Matt: A teal, yeah, probably teal more than anything.
Hero: Lionessfeather asks, “What's the progress on obtaining a little cat?”
Matt: I think we're about 85 to 90% of the way there? We have floors now!
Hero: Yeah, the main reason we were not anywhere near getting a little cat was because we didn't have any flooring in our living room, our hallway, our bedroom, or in the other bedroom.
Matt: And just so people know, we had a concrete floor.
Hero: Yes. It wasn't just The Void. [laughs]
Matt: Yeah, I've said to some people we don't have a floor and they're like, “What?!”
Hero: Yeah and you're like, “Yeah, no, you can just see all the way to Australia. It's wild!” [both laugh] But we do still have lots of precariously stacked piles of heavy boxes and sharp things and toxic paint and that kind of thing.
Matt: So we're hoping- We're hoping for January. January/February.
Hero: Yeah. Fingers crossed. Um, and then Snootleboop asked, “Aside from a cat, what's one fantasy creature you'd love to have as a pet?” Which I like because it implies that cats are fantasy creatures. [Matt laughs] Which I think is completely accurate.
Matt: Well, I told you this before, but I once knew someone who thought that badgers were a mythical creature.
Hero: [laughs] I did know that! You did tell- And wasn't like, she didn't know until university?
Matt: Yeah, she was like, I think she was 19 at the time. And she was like, “Oh, I only found out last year that badgers are real.” And I'm like, “What?!”
Hero: Wow. That's amazing. So are you picking a badger?! I'm not living with a badger.
Matt: No, I don't want to- No, well it's not mythical! [both laughing] Badgers aren't mythical creatures- Aren't fantasy creatures! Jeez.
Hero: Jeez.
Matt: I don't know. What's a good fantasy creature?
Hero: I'm going to be ruthless and pragmatic. I'm going to have the goose that lays golden eggs, and I'm going to be rich.
Matt: Wow, that is a boring answer.
Hero: Well pick a better one. For our mid-terrace, two-up two-down! [both laugh]
Matt: I think in terms of anything from Star Wars, I'd want a porg.
Hero: OK. Yeah.
Matt: Yeah.
Hero: I was going to be like, [obnoxious voice] “Uh, Star Wars isn't fantasy,” but it- It is.
Matt: It's sci fi fantasy.
Hero: It's science fantasy. And so are we.
Matt: Dragons are pretty cool, but I don't think I'd want a dragon.
Hero: Oh a little- If I could have a little dragon!
Matt: A little dragon.
Hero: Just a little one.
Matt: Every time it sneezes, it's a little bit of fire comes out.
Hero: Oh!
Matt: [little sneezing noise]
Hero: Very cute! And I'd have a little pocket fire extinguisher just in case.
Mat: [laughs and makes little fire extinguisher noises]
Hero: Extremely cute. Snazzycrow asked, “Do you do traditional, non-digital art as well? What medium and how does your process differ between the two?”
Matt: Yeah, I do. Um. Mostly just sketching though. I don't- I don't really do any kind of like, actual like, big painting or whatever.
Hero: You do a lot of post-its.
Matt: Post-it notes and sketchbooks and pages and whatnot. Um, that's my preferred way to work, to be honest. Like, just drawing, doodling. I hate having to be professional. [both laugh] So…
Hero: Yeah, like, the first thing you said in this Q&A was like, “Yeah, the hardest thing is that, like, these things have to look good, I guess? [Matt laughs] And I'm agin it. I hate looking good.”
Matt: No, I just draw on whatever, like, that's it. Like I'm not- I don't really have specific tools or anything like that there. I use a standard, I think HB pencil, and I use a black biro and I draw on whatever's available to me. So that's kind of it. And then in terms of process, the only real difference is that I'm a lot looser on paper than I am, I think, on digital.
Matt: Radicalreliablerandomness asks-
Hero: Triple threat!
Matt: [beat] Huh?
Hero: [laughing] I said, “Triple threat!” [Matt laughs] Because I did it every time they asked a question in the Monstrous Agonies Q&A.
Matt: I just thought you were being aggressive towards me for no reason.
Hero: No.
Matt: Um…
Hero: Triple threat! [Matt laughs]
Matt: “How do you come up with all the fantasy names?”
Hero: Um, I spent a lot of time on Wiktionary.com.
Matt: Occasionally you come into me and you're like, “Give me a name.” And I'm like, “Here, there's something vaguely Irish.” [laughs]
Hero: Yeah, perfect. Um, sometimes I just make a noise, and then I Google it to find out whether it's another language's word for penis. Um. Sometimes I go and I look up the English word and then find a translation of that and play with it until it sounds nice.
I do usually pick a language or a fam- language family to stick with within a certain culture. So like Yzhnyaba, they were all very Slavic words, um, that I was sort of riffing on. Whereas The Traveller's own language – which I think they do name at some point, but I can't, I can't remember what it is – is, is basically Space Welsh, or Spwelsh, if you prefer. [laughs] Which Matthew- Not you, obviously.
Matt: [witheringly] Yeah.
Hero: Matthew asked, uh, “Are the- Are the Welsh space words on purpose?” Uh, yeah. Pretty much. There was one, I think- I think I named- I don't speak Welsh. I just think it's neat. Um, and uh, and apparently, uh, the planet that the Traveller is from – Serran – is actually the Welsh word for star. Which I didn't know.
Matt: Miro and LeeshaJoy asked, “If you could pick one planet to visit that the Traveller has been to, which one would it be?”
Hero: Mmm. I'm going to be a huge, basic bitch. [Matt laughs] I'm going to go- I'm going to go to that spa planet.
Matt: It's not even a planet though, was it not a space station?!
Hero: Space station? I think a space station would be cool! I'd like to go to a space station.
Matt: [disgusted] You're just going to go to a spa?
Hero: I've never been to a spa!
Matt: That's crazy.
Hero: What, have you been to a spa?
Matt: No, I haven't.
Hero: Nah!
Matt: But I've been in a swimming pool, it's basically the same-
Hero: “I've been to a swimming pool.” Yeah, I've been to a swimming pool! I've never- I-I want a…
Matt: You could go to any planet that we've been to and you're like, [mocking] “I want to go to the spa.” [laughs]
Hero: I do want to go to the spa, yeah! It looks nice! [beat] Well, I don't want to go to a fish market.
Matt: There are other places to go to! [laughing] You don't have to go to- [simultaneously] You decided to pick the worst-
Hero: [simultaneously] [laughing] Those are the only two! [both laugh] Um. I would not do well on the ice planet.
Matt: I think that's where I would like to go. I like a snow planet anyway, but um-
Hero: I like the underground city that's on the same planet. I think that's fun.
Matt: Yeah, that's why I think I'd like both of them. And I also would love to see those structures in person. To hear the wind, you know, blow through them. That'd be really fun. Well, I suppose, does the- does the research ship count as a place to go to?
Hero: Well, you were very uppity that I couldn't even pick one of the space stations because it's not a planet.
Matt: You yourself, would you rather be on the research ship or the merchant ship?
Hero: Ooh… See, I've imagined- This will shock nobody to know that I've imagined Scarry, who I've written as quite large and grumpy, as also being quite sexy [laughs] Because large and grumpy is my type. [both laugh] Um. So I think I might pick the merchant ship.
Matt: He does look like a big frog though.
Hero: When you draw him! He doesn't look like a big frog to me. To me, he's gorgeous.
Matt: There is a question about canon here, so we should probably talk about that [simultaneous] afterwards but you-
Hero: [simultaneous] Oh is there? Yeah. [Matt laughs] Ask the question about canon.
Matt: Catwyk asks, “Were there details about the crew, specifically Hesje and Tsabec, that never made it into the show but you consider canon, such as, uh, the Traveller's full name, for example.” [Hero laughs] The Traveller has no name at the moment.
Hero: No. No, it's not like we're walking around calling them Trevor.
Matt: We didn't think it'd be funny in that last episode that- [Hero laughs] They did- They- They said something towards the Traveller and were like, “I don't- I don't even know your name, actually.” [laughs]
Hero: Yeah, like- Yeah, like, Hesje doesn't know who the [bleep] this is. I think we also joked about doing a group photo, but the Traveller had been Mike Wazowski-ed and just had, like, a tree in front of their face or something. [both laugh]
Matt: We've- We've had the- We've had the conversation a few times whether or not the Traveller should be in this photo.
Hero: Yeah. Or like, are we ever going to reveal what they look like?
Matt: Yeah. I think we've both decided, I think at the moment, anyway, that you're never really going to know…
Hero: I tell you, I've been really enjoying people's fan art and I'm greedy. And I- I like it when people- I think, you know, jokes about Scarry aside, like, I- I do think it's hard when you're doing this visual side of the show as well, to sort of go like, this is Matt's interpretation of this. This is not necessarily canon. And if you want to draw Tsabec completely differently, that's really cool. That's really fun.
Matt: Yeah.
Hero: Like what's canon for this podcast is what's in the podcast. Not what we say online, not what we you know, what- what you draw.
Matt: Yeah. No. And like some people, some people in the Discord have a completely different interpretation of how Óli looks or even the… Who else? Annaliese. I think they're [bleep]-ing gorgeous. They're beautiful drawings and like, they're not close to what I have in my head, but that's fine like, because I like seeing other people's interpretations of it.
Hero: I don't think there were any details that I had in my head that didn't get in.
Matt: There's nothing really, like. There's just- Like, things get moved around or repurposed. Scarry and the merchant crew is a good example of like, I thought we were done with them. Like. That was it. We never see them again. And then it made sense to bring them back. [sighs] Um. Because they actually played, you know, a purpose in the story. It's not a surprise to anyone that, you know, you are kind of making it up as you go along.
Hero: Especially a story that is so, like- I really, really love that the story is what it is because of when it's been told and who's been- been engaging with it? Not just the- the votes, but also the- the entries and the entries that have inspired the letters and all that kind of stuff. And also the chat around…
So I think- I think we had joked about Tsabec being the only person this season who actually shags anyone [laughs] But it was somebody on the server who… Originally I had been like, “Oh well, Tsabec will be chatting to Resimus and sending messages.” And you get a little hint of that when they're annoyed that their communicator's not working on the way back from the spa.
And then somebody on the server was like, “Tsabec's chatting with hot blondes in their area!” [both laugh] And I was like- Originally I was like- It was going to be Tsabec was just messaging Resimus and they were just chatting about academic stuff. But then I was like, it's so much funnier if they're just flirting and- and having this, like complete online like, relationship kind of thing.
I think it would have been fine either way, but it's really funny that- That that aspect took on that side of it because of this comment that somebody made sort of in passing. Um. And I think there's been a couple of those where someone said something like, “Wouldn't it be cool if… such and such?” And I'd been like, “I-it would! I'm gonna steal that, that's much better than what I was thinking!” [laughs] And I like that. And I think you can only have that when you have a very fluid attitude to, “What have you got planned?” And you're like, “Well, we've got some ideas, we've got some things knocking about.” But like, the point is that we're all making this together.
Matt: Yeah, it's always in flux. You know.
Hero: Exactly. “Time is in flux, Donna!”[Matt makes a doubtful noise] That's what he says. [Hero laughs]
Paperwizards asks, “Travelling Light is a very different sort of story compared to Monstrous Agonies. What were some of your inspirations for this new type of story?” What do you say, co-creator Matt? [Matt laughs] You don't put it all on me just because I write the words. [both laugh]
Matt: Well, you write the story and you said my art's not canonical! [laughs]
Hero: Yeah, but you come up with a story as much as I do. You don't wiggle out of it that way!
Matt: What are the biggest inspirations? I think like- [sighs] I don't really like the story of Treasure Island, [laughs] but there is a big part of that playing a role in there. Like, I don't know, that kind of idea of like, a young person going on a big adventure. I like those kind of stories, those kind of like, 'young farm boy moving away from home', you know. That kind of stuff.
Because I wasn't- I wasn't going to be on this project originally. You just had an idea. This idea of someone going away from home and then changing over the course of a few serieses. And I was really interested in that idea, and you were- You weren't really sure where to go for it. So I think, like the biggest influences is kind of like, yeah, like this, not so much a coming of age, but coming of like, self or person.
Hero: I was excited at the idea of, um, finding this character with the audience based on the choices that they make. I think also there was, uh- Matthew and Lana both asked about the religious inspiration behind Travelling Light. And, uh…
So I'm a-a, a Quaker. And one of the biggest influences on Travelling Light is the Quaker tradition of travelling ministry, which is people going out from their home communities, very explicitly not on a sort of mission project. They're not trying to convert people. They are reconnecting with other communities from the same faith background or from different faith backgrounds, and they share their experiences. And it's- It's sort of witnessing the world as a religious… Yeah, as ministry, as a, as a form of ministry.
And so that was- That was a huge, huge influence of this- Like I-I pitch Travelling Light quite often as like. “space Quaker”! [laughs] You know? And then also thinking about like, what had I loved from Monstrous Agonies, which was mostly the audience interaction and trying to find a story structure that would allow for even more of that.
So having the archive entry means that we can have the audience participating in the world building in a really fun way. But having the audience votes means that we can have them participating in the actual story and the character development as well. Eventually, my goal is to make a podcast where I don't do anything and [both laugh] everything is outsourced to the audience.
Yeah, so- And so Matt- Matthew's question was actually, “How many of the space religions are based off Quakerism and what other influences went into them?” I think Quakerism is only one of them. I think it is- Only the Traveller is really Quaker. The- The Yavkhati that we've mentioned, who have this idea of nothing really exists, there's no individuality, everything's just an expression of the universe? There was some Buddhism in that and some Hinduism, but I'm not half as well-read on Buddhism or Hinduism as I am on Quakerism, shockingly, so they were sort of inspirations rather than sort of, direct influences.
Matt: Yeah. And like the, the submissions as well… We may have an idea or we may pick up some stuff from the submissions, but people could have different interpretations when they put them in.
Hero: Yeah. Like, somebody might write something from their perspective that feels like, deeply Jewish to them because that's who they are. And I might completely miss out on it. [laughs] But, you know-
Matt: Yeah, but- But that could still read out to someone as being deeply Jewish.
Hero: Absolutely. And then Lana had asked, uh, “We heard about some creation stories from other religions in-universe. Does the Traveller have one too?” I don't think so, because I think- Because I'm imagining the Traveller's faith as- as very aligned with Quakerism and we don't really do creation stories. So I-I don't think so, but I think that's something that if you wanted to riff off what the Traveller has said about their faith and come up with something that would be really, really cool.
Matt: This is related to the Traveller from Catwyk. Um. “How fleshed out is your conception of the community at Emerraine? The Traveller gives some info in their letters – bunkhouse systems, ideas of charity, etc. – but is there more cultural info planned for them?” That's more of a you question, like I don't-
Hero: Yeah, sorry! [both laugh] You're like, “I'm a godless heathen, so... I don't know anything about that.” So we are going to meet another community of the same faith when we go to… I've forgotten the name of the town. Clanagh? Maybe?
Matt: Yeah, yeah, that's right.
Hero: So, yeah, we're going to meet the community in Clanagh. And I think that's going to provide a nice opportunity to have the Traveller notice some differences? And I think it's going to be really interesting to see what the Traveller notices as, as working differently and maybe what, what makes them homesick and… And I think we're going to play with that because I feel like we're going to be in Clanagh for a little while. I think we're going to be there for a-a few weeks at least. So yeah. So we'll- We'll will hear a bit more about that in Season Two. It's very tempting and exciting, I'm sure. [laughs]
Matt: Here's one from Ed. “Hello. Hope yous are doing well.” Are we doing well?
Hero: Um, I'm- I'm doing alright.
Matt: I'm doing OK, I'm fine. I feel like I'm catching up on some lost sleep, which is good. Um. “I have absolutely loved the rich tapestry of culture that's woven throughout the podcast. I especially have loved the songs.”
Hero: [sings a single note]
Matt: “For those which are submission-based, do listeners detail a melody for a submission, and if not, how do you decide on the music to accompany the lyrics?”
Hero: Um, so none of the songs so far have included a melody. I don't think off the top of my head any of them have included lyrics. They've just been-
Matt: Prompts, haven't they?
Hero: Yeah. Treb was like, “I want a drinking song!” And I was like, “On it, boss.” Um. [Matt laughs] So, I did the lyrics and the melody. I think the easiest way for somebody to include a melody- Because I can… [high pitched and doubtful] Read music? [doubtful noises] Sort of? I think the easiest way would be, uh, get in touch in a way that you can send me an audio file of you humming it! [both laugh] And I'll do my best.
Matt: This one is from Toblerones. “What advice would Óli and/or the Traveller have to anyone considering a risky career change? I know the Traveller hasn't technically changed career, but in terms of their daily duties, it seems as though it would feel like that.”
Hero: Yeah.
Matt: What advice? I don't know. It's like- I don't even know if either of them are qualified! [laughs]
Hero: Yeah, I don't think Óli's ever had a job.
Matt: Yeah. Yeah.
Hero: Um, and I think the Traveller, I don't think has ever had a career. [laughs]
Matt: I feel like the Traveller, though, for me, would be like, almost like, sickeningly, like, saccharine about it? Just being like, “You do you!” You know?
Hero: “You do you, baby!” [both laugh]
Matt: [simultaneously] “You can do it. I believe in you.”
Hero: [simultaneously] “You can do it. I believe in you! Just lean on your community and everything will be fine!” [Matt laughs] And it's like, it's not that that's not true, but that's like, not massively, practically helpful.
Matt: Yes, I need- I need something more, you know, tangible than just like, “I believe in you!”
Hero: Yeah.
Matt: “You can do anything you put your mind to!” [Hero laughs]
Hero: Which is to say, sorry, Toblerones, I don't think either of these people have anything useful. What would Annaliese say? Annaliese would have some sensible advice about trusting your gut but taking reasonable precautions.
Matt: Art asks, “Would you put a discarded fruit sticker on my forehead in a whimsical jest? Yes or no?”
Hero: Yes.
Matt: Yes.
Hero: Instantly. Of course. Anything for you, Art. [Matt laughs]
Matt: Ah, I love to stick little fruit stickers everywhere.
Hero: You got in trouble-! [starts laughing]
Matt: So much so that I got in trouble for. They didn't find out it was me, thankfully. But, uh, in- In an office share that I was in for a long time, every time I had an apple, the apple had a little sticker on it and I'd be eating it as I walk by. I would just stick the sticker somewhere. And the roof was only about like- I'm 6'4”, so it's about two metres. The roof in the hallway was only about maybe another 20 to 30cm higher than me. So I could just very easily just reach up and stick a sticker there. And then there was this mass email put out being like, [Hero laughs] “Uh, whoever is sticking fruit stickers all over the place, could you please stop?” [both laugh]
Hero: And now they're going to know! Now they're going to listen to this and they'll know that it was you.
Matt: Mm. Well, I do not- I do not work there any more. But yes, I used to do it.
Hero: You menace.
Matt: Well, that's what the stickers are for! They're not for anything else, they need to be stuck-
Hero: Stickers are for sticking.
Matt: They're for sticking. If it's not on someone's forehead, it's on the roof. [laughs]
Hero: “Any plans for guest stars on this show à la Monstrous Agonies?” From Miro. I don't know.
Matt: Don't really know how that works compared to Monstrous… Monstrous Agonies was very like- It was a- It was a radio show.
Hero: Whereas I'm not sure how that- I suppose the Traveller could receive some letters. That could be nice. Um. You wanted to ask me, “Is there anything that surprised you about working together?” I'm surprised we didn't fall out more. [laughs]
Matt: Yeah. Um. I think there was a period where that would have happened, like, at the very start, like. But I think we- We- We actually ended up working together pretty quickly. I think we- Once we- Once we realised how both of us work, I think it just started… It- It= It was like, OK, that's grand.
Hero: Yeah, I think it was- It took a little bit to find our feet and to know what you needed from me, what I needed from you. And also like, we just communicate slightly differently. But like, we've been together for nearly a decade now. We're- We're quite good at talking! [laughs]
Matt: Yeah. We just need to apply whatever we're doing on the show to our day to day life, I think.
Hero: I mean, we don't fight in our day to day life. [Matt laughs]
Matt: I know but I'm just-!
Hero: Don't- Don't spread these lies! [Matt laughs] These hetero bull-[bleep] lies. OK?
Matt: [bleep]-in' ball and chain over here.
Hero: Oh, [bleep]-ing hell. I'll kill you! [Matt laughs]
Matt: But I just mean, like, in terms of, like, I don't know- What's- What's the communication we're doing, I'm wondering? That- Like, is it just because it's work, you know what I mean?
Hero: I think it is. I think it is just that it's work and it's less emotional. As much as we love the show and are very proud of it, and it's very dear to our hearts, it is also like, because we're doing it week to week to week, like, it just kind of needs done and it's- You don't get so emotionally invested in it.
Matt: Yeah, I don't- I don't feel like it's as- It's as vulnerable as it was if it was like just Monstrous Agonies on your own or if it was something I was doing on my own. Snootleboops asks, quickfire question: Shower or bath?
Hero: Bath.
Matt: Uh, I prefer a shower, but I do like a bath.
Hero: I love a bath. We don't have one at the minute.
Mat: No.
Hero: [whispering] But we will.
Matt: Uh, tea or coffee?
Hero: Tea.
Matt: Uh, coffee. Milk first or cereal first?
Hero: Cereal first.
Matt: Yeah. Cereal is always first.
Hero: People who put milk first, what are you- What are you at? Matthew- Matthew barely gestures the milk towards the cereal. That's my big gripe about the way that you make it.
Matt: You put half a carton of milk in! [laughs]
Hero: Yeah, and you are like, “One teaspoon.”
Matt: No, I put a reasonable amount in. [simultaneous] A reasonable amount.
Hero: [simultaneous] You get possessed by a-a 40s housewife living under rationing, and you're like, [wavering voice] “Oh, no, we can't afford more milk than that! You can't expect every piece of cereal to be wet!” I can! I can, and I do!
Matt: [wavering voice] “Time to put the lights out for the air raids.”
Hero: Exactly.
Matt: Uh, no, because I put a reasonable amount in.
Hero: Mmmmmm. [Northern Irish accent] Doubt.
Matt: Toblerone asks, “Besides having very definite plans for Óli's future, what were their birth family like with them and in general?!
Hero: Well, as you would expect from canned soup magnates, um- [both laugh] I think they were very, very invested in the way things looked and the way people perceived them and saving face above all. And I think doing things correctly and doing things the way that you ought to.
Not to get too personal on main but there are certain members of my family that I don't speak to, and some of the reasons for that are that they have very, very strong ideas about what's normal and how important it is to be that. But they also don't tell anyone what that is! [laughing] They just get upset when you don't do it.
Um, and I think that Óli's birth family were probably like that, where they're just like, they're very, very into doing things the right way and being perceived as correct and normal and- And- You know, [fussy voice] “Well, everybody does that, so.” But they also don't, um, communicate what those needs and expectations are. [both laugh]
Matt: Yeah.
Hero: Not that I'm projecting, but- [laughs]
Matt: It's kind of the way that I see them, that they're- They're not necessarily bad people in any sense. It's just that they're- They put a lot of pressure on their child and their child is unfortunately… They're not either well equipped to deal with that or just don't want to. And I don't think that they're quite ready for that.
Hero: I also think that Óli's parents have no idea. Like, they don't know where they went wrong, I think? I think they're just like, “Óli's just gone completely haywire.” But I think that Óli has probably been telling them this or trying to. But I-I also think that Óli's not a great communicator, like.
Matt: Like, no, no, no.
Hero: God love 'em.
Matt: Radicalreliablerandomness-
Hero: Triple threat!
Matt: [laughing] Asks, “How has the system with voting changed the way you write?”
Hero: Well, we have to plan more than I did with Monstrous Agonies, because we have to plan those eight weeks so that we know where each decision branch is actually going. Um. Whereas Monstrous Agonies was, would you believe, even more ad hoc than this? [laughs]
Matthew asks, “Why do these aliens all like light? Huh? Surely there are like, mole people who don't like light and listen to Travelling Dark?” [laughs] And you know, I think- I think we just let that stand. I don't think we need to answer that. [Matt laughs] I think we just. We just all sit and nod with Matthew and go, “Hmm. Big questions.”
Matt: Big questions, big questions.
Hero: Big questions. [both laugh] And I think… we've finally reached our very last question.
Matt: Ugh. Goodness.
Hero: An anonymous question asker asks-
Matt: Oh, anonymous?
Hero: Yeah. Anonymous. [Matt laughs] Yeah. [leaning into the mic] It- It was me. [Matt laughs] Nobody asked. Nobody asked but I wanted- I wanted to talk about it anyway, so I put it in. “What can you tell us about Season Two?” is what I wrote. Um.
Matt: Think we're going to take, uh… Like, I think we'll take the Traveller and Óli's relationship to an interesting place. They're going to go a place that I think people might not expect. Thinking about where we left them at the end of Season One and where they'll- They're going to pick up in a very obvious place, I think.
Hero: Well, yeah. [beat] Clanagh. [laughs]
Matt: Yeah, but I think they'll- I think- I think people will be surprised about like, how that will unfold between them.
Hero: Yeah. If everything goes to plan. This is- This is the other thing. “What can we tell you about Season Two?” We can tell you what we might- [doubtful noise]
Matt: We- We know where we're starting.
Hero: We know where we're starting.
Matt: We know where the first eight weeks are going.
Hero: I think we know what planet we end Season Two on.
Matt: Yes.
Hero: Which is fun.
Matt: We- I think we vaguely have an idea of what emotional state the Traveller should end on.
Hero: Um, yeah, I think- I think Season Two- Um. I don't think you have to go into it with any sort of trepidation. We are not suddenly changing tack and becoming some sort of grimdark body horror extravaganza. [laughs] But we will be, um… Taking things in a slightly more interesting emotional direction, I think.
I think the- The other thing is, that I don't think we've ever talked about publicly- We are planning this to be a three season show. So if you think about trilogies, the second one is usually where things get a little rocky. They get a little exciting. so that we can sort of bring it home in, in Season Three.
Matt: You'll see some more of your favourites and you'll see some new- You'll see plenty of new people, and…
Hero: Yeah! It's going to be fun. And we're aiming to have that- Start that sort of early spring, were you thinking?
Matt: Yeah, February I think was it? Was that it?
Hero: February.
Matt: I think either end of January or start of February. Similar set up, 40 episodes.
Hero: Mmhmm. 40 episodes, eight weeks on, two weeks off. Our inbox is staying open throughout the break.
Matt: Yes, please- Please make your submission.
Hero: Keep an eye on our social media for updates and news, and we'll see you then. Thank you very much for listening.
Matt: Yes. Thanks everyone for listening. It's been- It's been very nice to have so many people engage with the show.
Hero: It has, it's been really fun. If you want to find us, you can find us on our social media where, uh, I'll put some links in the show notes. And if you've enjoyed this, please do think about supporting us on Ko-Fi. You can get annotated scripts and behind the scenes content. Some additional art from Matt will be forthcoming… at some point?
Matt: Yeah.
Hero: Yeah? [both laugh]
Matt: It'll come.
Hero: [laughing] It'll come! It'll- It'll happen! [laughs] Um, yeah. So, uh, and yeah, you can sign up for £1 a month or more if you really love us. And if you sign up on our highest tier, Matt will draw a unique, specially designed for you, alien for you to print out and stick above your bed and treasure for the rest of your life. [Matt laughs] I assume that's what everybody's done.
Matt: Yeah, I-I don't know anyone who's done that yet but, you know.
Hero: Well, we don't know that they haven't, though, so- [laughs]
Matt: That's true. That's true.
Hero: Yeah.
Matt: Yeah. And if you can't do that, please share the podcast with everyone you know. Try and get more listeners on. We've got lots already, which is quite surprising, but…
Hero: [muttering] Not surprising to me. [both laugh]
Matt: I don't know, I just wasn't expecting us to be doing as well as we are already, so.
Hero: It's nice. People are hanging on our every word.
Matt: Yeah. It's nice. Uh…
Hero: Literally dozens of listeners.
Matt: Dozens. Dozens. Several.
Hero: So we- We started, um, we started all this with me doing an impression of you. I think you should finish it with an impression of me. [pause] The face of a man weighing up how much he values his relationship compared to how much he values the bit. And I'm going to tell you now, Matt McDyre will always pick the bit over me. [laughs]
Matt: That's true, that's true. [in an appalling English accent] Alright, everyone. That was fantastic. [Hero starts laughing] Thank you all for listening to the podcast. If you can like, share and retweet our work as much as possible, that'd be fantastic. And we'll see you for Season Two early next year.
Hero: Gorgeous. Bye!
Matt: [still in the accent] All the best. Bye! Bye!
[Title music: rhythmic intrumental folk. It plays throughout the closing credits.]
H.R. Owen
Travelling Light was created by H.R. Owen and Matt McDyre, and is a Monstrous Productions podcast. Thanks to everyone who sent in questions.
If you've enjoyed Travelling Light so far, please consider supporting us on Ko-Fi. For just £1 a month you can get access to bonus art and additional content, including an extended version of this Q&A session featuring more questions and more detailed answers. Sign up now at ko-fi.com/monstrousproductions.
Our inbox is staying open during the between-season break. If you've got an idea for an archive entry that you'd like us to feature in Season 2, send them in through our website, by email, or on social media. For more information, see the show notes.
This podcast is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. The theme tune is by Vinca.
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