📝 Episode Notes

🎮 Main Topic: RPG Mechanics We Love (and Why Avowed Stands Out)

- The hosts highlight key RPG mechanics that elevate the player experience:

- Maps that matter: Clarity, verticality, and incentivized exploration.

- Visible resources on mini-maps: Encourages environmental interaction and rewards curiosity.

- Streamlined crafting: Especially for those who don't usually like crafting--Avowed's system is intuitive and meaningful.

- Sound cues for treasures: Smart audio design reinforces exploration loops.

- Pre-battle preparation: Crafting buffs (health, essence, stat boosts) that have meaningful impacts on both combat and conversations.

- Flexible combat builds: No locked classes; dual loadouts and hybrid builds let players constantly evolve.

- Quick-access radial menu: A smart, snappy way to deploy consumables mid-fight without breaking immersion.

🧠 What Makes an RPG Great (Beyond Avowed)

- Good maps that invite exploration, not just wayfinding.

- Meaningful character backgrounds that influence narrative and world reactions.

- Strong writing: doesn't need to be literary, but must be compelling and well-structured.

- Characters and companions that enrich the story and provide emotional depth.

- Combat and game mechanics that are fun to play, not just functional.

🧨 Spoiler Section: Choices in

Avowed

- Peter and Eden both freed Sapadal, embraced the godlike heritage, and set the Living Lands free.

- Differences in choices led to varied narrative outcomes: one preserved a city, the other unknowingly let it burn.

- The third-act "Obsidian moral choice" delivers hard-hitting emotional consequences.

- The endgame allows for meaningful reflection on godhood, revolution, and rebirth.

📚 What We're Reading & Watching

- Adachi and Shimamura -- A slow-burn light novel with standout prose.

- Jamis Bachman, Ghost Hunter -- Paranormal mystery in small-town Utah.

- Andor Rewatch -- A deep dive into the thematic richness of the heist arc.

🎧 Recent Metal Discoveries

- Deafheaven -- Lonely People with Power: A return to form, potentially surpassing Sunbather.

- Amenra -- With Fang and Claw & De Toorn: Two EPs showcasing both their brutal and post-metal sides.

- Allegaeon -- The Ossuary Lens: Tech-death meets progressive emotion; Peter's album of the year (so far).

Catching Up:

• Peter shares a laid-back spring break filled with Avowed, a vasectomy, and home recovery. He praises the game's gray morality and engaging writing.

• Eden talks about buying a Boox Palma (a minimalist e-reader) to curb phone addiction, reading five books in a week, and recommends the Practice Perfect romance series by Carson Tate.

Tech Dalliances:

• Both hosts talk about recent tech indulgences.

• Eden raves about the Boox Palma as a life-improving gadget for focused reading.

• Peter details his journey with the Ayn Odin 2 Portal, a handheld Android gaming device. His dream of retro emulation quickly becomes a nightmare of BIOS files and sideloading drama.

• The takeaway? Sometimes it's better to just play your modern Steam backlog.

Comics Corner:

• Eden shares thoughts on DC's new Absolute line and its reimaginings of classic characters:

• Absolute Wonder Woman is a standout.

• Absolute Batman explores a working-class Bruce Wayne.

• Absolute Martian Manhunter earns high praise for reinventing a character Eden never cared about.

• A rant about Hush 2 and a Harley Quinn scratch-and-sniff fart fetish comic provides comic book industry absurdity.

Main Topic -- Andor Episodes 1-3:

Peter's First Watch:

• Came in skeptical due to Star Wars burnout.

• Found episode one a bit slow, episode two better, and episode three "hooked" him.

• Admits it's the most he's enjoyed Star Wars since Return of the Jedi--possibly ever.

Themes and Analysis:

• Andor is a serious, adult take on Star Wars, unafraid to depict the empire as a metaphor for real-world fascism and police brutality.

• The show avoids nostalgic gimmicks and "wink-wink" references in favor of grounded storytelling and rich characterization.

Setting Praise:

• Ferix, Cassian's home, is a fully realized working-class world with its own culture, social code, and resistance instincts.

• The show's commitment to practical sets over digital environments makes it visually compelling.

Character Deep Dives:

• Cassian Andor's backstory reveals a lifetime of loss and injustice, priming him for future rebellion.

• Marva's complex relationship with Cassian is explored through strong performances and layered writing.

• Syril Karn is identified as a perfect example of authoritarian overreach--ambitious, small-minded, and terrifyingly familiar.

Visual & Directorial Highlights:

• Directed by Toby Haynes, the series is praised for its cinematography, lighting, and gripping action sequences.

• The bell ringer, glove wall, and "droid that is stairs" moments are noted as the kind of world-building Star Wars does best.

Looking Ahead:

• Eden hints that the upcoming arcs in Andor get even better.

• Season 2 will follow a similar structure: four arcs of three episodes, each set a year apart leading up to Rogue One.

Closing Thoughts:

• Peter is intrigued and excited to continue.

• The hosts tease more Andor discussions ahead and wrap up with their usual mix of sarcasm, cultural critique, and sincere enthusiasm.

Welcome back!

• Peter and Eden catch up on life, touching on:

• Why modern society feels like a "hellscape."

• Eden's unique take on a book club (it's really just a reason to meet at a bar and talk about books).

• A foray into Bad Movie Bros, a community dedicated to watching and laughing at terrible films.

• Highlights from their recent March Badness-- including absurd movies like The Core and the utterly bizarre 1980 film The Apple.

Cultural Tangents & Side Discussions

• The joys of intentionally bad movies and their ability to bring people together.

• The absolute madness of The Apple, a musical disaster that features a literal rapture via a spectral Buick.

• Eden's ongoing quest to master Riichi Mahjong-- and the realization that half of the players in Mahjong Soul are either total newbies or unbeatable experts.

• Peter's thoughts on Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson and the daunting length of his books.

• Tsunami Sea by Spiritbox and why Peter thinks they are the next big thing in metal.

• Bioluminescence by Dawn of Ouroboros, blending prog, death, and jazz influences.

• A surprising deep dive into Poppy, a genre-defying artist oscillating between pop, metal, and chaos.

Main Segment: Desert Island Albums

• How We Chose: Instead of just picking favorites, Peter and Eden each framed our choices as "Which five albums would I be most sad to never hear again?"

• No Live Albums or Compilations Allowed!

Our Picks:

• Eden's Five:

1. Koyaanisqatsi (Philip Glass) -- The haunting neoclassical score from the experimental documentary.

2. Systems/Layers (Rachel's) -- A genre-defying, deeply personal post-classical album.

3. F# A# ∞ (Godspeed You! Black Emperor) -- A post-rock masterpiece of apocalyptic soundscapes.

4. The Harp of New Albion (Terry Riley) -- Experimental piano music with a tuning that bends reality.

5. Promises (Pharoah Sanders & Floating Points) -- A jazz masterpiece that Eden describes as the finest piece of jazz music ever recorded.

• Peter's Five:

1. Through Silver and Blood (Neurosis) -- An impenetrable wall of sound and raw emotion.

2. Terrasite (Cattle Decapitation) -- A brutal yet oddly cathartic death metal record.

3. Slow Forever (Cobalt) -- A riff-heavy American black metal album that never gets old.

4. Dreaming Neon Black (Nevermore) -- A concept album of insanity, grief, and power.

5. Folium Limina (The Otolith) -- A haunting, violin-infused post-doom album that Peter has written three books to.

Honorable Mentions:

• Rush's Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures (though both hosts realized they could mentally replay these albums in full without ever hearing them again).

• Mariner by Cult of Luna & Julie Christmas.

• Catharsis by YOB.

• Chopin's Opus 28 Preludes, specifically Amy Kobayashi's recording.

Final Thoughts

• Reflecting on how music shapes personal identity and memory.

• The joy of rediscovering albums that remain impactful years later.

• Eden's experience revisiting The Harp of New Albion and realizing its timeless brilliance.

• Peter's increasing excitement for The Otolith and the music that fuels creativity.

Thanks for listening and join us in two weeks for another fun episode!

Life Updates & Gaming Adventures

The February blues hit hard as we commiserate about adulting struggles, work deadlines, and the never-ending battle against muddy paw prints

Eden champions Obsidian's Avowed as a triumph of weird fantasy and complex moral choices that puts other RPGs on notice

Peter confesses he hasn't fallen under Avowed's spell yet but is intrigued by Eden's passionate defense of its uniqueness

Musical Journeys

Peter takes us into the melancholic melodies of Dawn of Solace and the powerful vocal performances in Lacuna Coil's latest releases

Eden surprises everyone (including themselves) with an unexpected deep dive into 1960s Brazilian samba, featuring hidden gems from Tenorio Jr. and the Salambanso Trio

Literary Explorations

Eden savors the sweet cultural journey of A Bánh Mì for Two while struggling through the deliberately paced Cold War classic The Spy Who Came in from the Cold

Peter connects the dots between Le Carré and Nick Harkaway's The Gone Away World, revealing literary legacies hiding in plain sight, and assures everyone he will, eventually, start Wind and Truth

Featured Topic: Akane Banashi - Where Tradition Meets Ambition

We unpack the first three volumes of this captivating manga about Rakugo, the centuries-old Japanese art of storytelling. Akane Banashi masterfully transforms this traditional art form into a compelling underdog narrative with:

The perfect blend of reverence for tradition and the fire of youthful ambition

Competition that feels both high-stakes and surprisingly cozy

Characters who demonstrate that truly owning a story means finding your authentic voice within it

A fascinating peek into an art form that feels both foreign and surprisingly universal

Tune in as Peter shares his perspective as a manga newcomer, and we both explore why this series about sitting alone on stage telling stories has us completely hooked!

Welcome back to another exciting episode of The Middle of Culture! Your hosts, Peter and Eden, are here to dive into the world of pop culture, sci-fi, and everything in between. This week, we’re braving the cold and tackling a highly recommended novella that’s been on our TBR list for far too long.

What we are checking out:

Peter has been diving into some serious reading, tackling "The Lost Metal" from the Mistborn series and a nonfiction book on philosophy

Eden has been exploring new manga and video games, including finishing "Nichijou" and starting "Indiana Jones and the Great Circle"

A deep dive into "Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes," a spiritual successor to the beloved Suikoden series, and its stunning HD 2D graphics

All Systems Red

We both share our initial thoughts on "All Systems Red," agreeing that it’s an enjoyable read but not necessarily a mind-blowing one

Discussion on the book’s cozy sci-fi reputation and appeal to fans of softer, quieter media

We dive into the book’s exploration of personhood, autonomy, and the dehumanization of cyborgs and AI

Eden brings up the interesting dynamic between Murderbot and the augmented human, and the implications of respectability politic

Both hosts express curiosity about the broader sociopolitical context of the series and the motivations of the antagonistic group

Speculation on how the TV adaptation will handle the casting and portrayal of Murderbot, especially regarding its degendered identity.

Wrap-Up:

Thank you for joining us on this journey through "All Systems Red." We hope you enjoyed our discussion and are as excited as we are to see how the Murderbot Diaries will be brought to life on screen. Stay tuned for our next episode, and as always, take care of yourselves!

Welcome back to The Middle of Culture. This week, we take a deep dive into the state of entertainment in 2025. From the bleak outlook of upcoming movies and TV to the rare gems in music and video games, we break down what we’re anticipating with excitement and what we’re bracing for in disappointment.

Movies and TV

Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning -- The only movie Peter is planning to see opening weekend

Superman: Legacy and Fantastic Four -- Will DC's latest reboot succeed? Will Marvel recover?

Disney's live-action remakes (Lilo and Stitch, How to Train Your Dragon) -- Do we really need these?

Just how bad will Tron: Ares suck, and why is it all going to be Jared Leto's fault?

Daredevil Born Again -- The trailer has some promise, but will it deliver?

GQuuuuuuX -- A bizarre Gundam reimagining that might be brilliant or a disaster

Gaming

Avowed -- Will Obsidian continue its strong storytelling streak?

Doom: The Dark Ages -- Medieval DOOM? Yes, please

Claro Obscure Expedition 33 -- A turn-based RPG with an eerie, unique premise

Nintendo Switch 2 -- Worth it or just another console collecting dust?

Music

New albums from Spiritbox, Lacuna Coil, Testament, Mastodon, and more

The resurgence of Rebecca Black as a hyper-pop queen

Plus:

Eden's latest manga obsession Nichijou, weird food adventures, and why TikTok's vibes are now off

The increasing difficulty of finding things to truly look forward to in today's entertainment landscape

Join us for a candid, sometimes cynical, but always insightful look at what's ahead for pop culture in 2025.

This Week on "The Middle of Culture": Return to The Matrix!

Twenty years after Neo and Trinity's supposed final chapter, we're diving deep into 2021's surprise sequel "The Matrix Resurrections." After weeks of defending the oft-maligned sequels, we're here to ask: Does this unexpected return stick the landing? (Spoiler: We might have some hot takes that'll surprise you!)

🎮 What We're Into:

- Eden's getting existential with the haunting manga "Girls' Last Tour" and battling through the God Eater series (even if the games aren't exactly masterpieces)

- Peter's finally ready to tackle Brandon Sanderson's "The Lost Metal" after refreshing his Mistborn knowledge

- Eden's still charmed by Andy Griffith's legal adventures in Matlock

- Peter's headbanging to new releases from The Halo Effect (nostalgic Gothenburg melodeath goodness) and Obscure Sphinx's first music in 7 years!

🎬 Matrix Resurrections Deep Dive:

- Why did Lana Wachowski return to The Matrix without her sister Lily?

- The fascinating meta-commentary on modern blockbusters (and why some "messy" moments might be intentionally so)

- Neo and Trinity's reunion: How their chemistry still lights up the screen

- Where does this fall in our Matrix rankings? (The answer might surprise you!)

Whether you loved it, hated it, or haven't seen it yet, our discussion might change how you view this ambitious return to the franchise that changed action movies forever.

Got thoughts? We'd love to hear them! Drop us a line at feedback@themiddleofculture.com

See you in two weeks, when we'll have more culture to dissect right from the middle! 🎙️

In this special retrospective episode of The Middle of Culture, Eden and Peter reflect on two years of podcasting by pitting every movie they've covered in a bracket-style showdown to crown the "Best Movie of the Podcast (So Far)." This reflective journey explores their evolving tastes, the movies that shaped their discussions, and the surprises along the way.

Highlights

- Catching Up: Eden and Peter share life updates, holiday anecdotes, and recent media they've consumed, from action games like God of War to the folk music of Forndom and Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series.

Bracket Breakdown:

• A pool of 35 movies, including classics (The Matrix), animation masterpieces (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse), underrated sci-fi (Solaris), and beloved kaiju flicks (Godzilla Minus One), is narrowed down.

• Hilarious eliminations of duds

• Heated debates over matchups like Logan vs. 1954's Godzilla and Dune: Part Two vs. Speed Racer.

The Final Showdown: The climactic battle between two seminal movies that redefined their respective genres and continue to influence movies today.