Tag: audio drama

New Apple Podcasts Categories make a huge difference

Jarnsaxa is finally visible on Apple Podcasts.

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Ever since Apple made a home for podcasts, whether it was iTunes or (now) Apple Podcasts, no distinction was made between non-fiction and fiction/audio drama/radio plays/et cetera. Thousands of independent immersive stories were buried in categories that didn’t fit. Personal Journals? Society and Culture? Performing Arts? Nothing was a good fit. It was a sink or swim situation. Unfortunately, many shows sank.

This summer, as Apple competes for your attention span with streaming services such as Spotify, Netflix and BBC Sounds , Apple finally decided to give Fiction a category. They even made three sub-categories: Drama, Comedy, and Science Fiction.

As a result, this vibrant, growing community of people and ideas can finally get its head above water. And, guess what?

Jarnsaxa is finally visible.

Here is a screen shot of part of the Apple Podcasts United States Fiction>Drama chart, taken on the 21st of August, 2019, at 5:53 PM.

Screenshot of the Apple Podcasts Fiction Drama chart, 21st August 2019
Can you find Jarnsaxa Rising in this picture? She’s in very good company.

Finally, we’re not buried under thousands and thousand of podcasts, we’re not shoved into a drawer that doesn’t fit. Finally, when people look for a good story on Apple Podcasts, they can find us, along with stories like ours.

Thank you, Apple Podcasts.

If this is your first time here, hello and welcome. Thank you for joining us. Get out your headphones or turn on your speakers. We have a story for you.

Mythic tales, modern problems

Mythic themes help us make sense of a messy world. Jarnsaxa Rising is here for you.

LindsayHFLeave a comment

Seems as though all the summer entertainment for 2019 takes us back to ancient and mythic themes to understand contemporary society. Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame dominated the month of May. The finale of Game of Thrones pitted dragons against mortals to show the difference between dictatorship and democracy. Now, Good Omens uses Biblical themes in a battle between Heaven and Hell to show that friendship is magic.

Photo: BBC/Amazon

I’m not actually 100% sure. I haven’t finished watching it, and I read the book over a decade ago. It’s been a while. The point is, people are trying to make sense out of a flawed world, and they’re turning to ancient myths, legends and stories to cope. They’re also giving a lot of money to huge corporations (Disney, Warner Media, Amazon) to scratch the itch for story. Pro tip: You don’t have to. You have podcasts.

Jarnsaxa Rising gives you Norse mythology, in worlds both imagined and real. Mythic themes sort out justice, climate crisis and wealth disparity. Just like the aforementioned, it’s got the end of the world at stake, rich multifaceted characters, and clever strategies to defeat enemies and surmount obstacles. Plus, the actors are exciting. If you haven’t heard it yet, now’s your chance! You can start with Season 1, Episode 1, on your favorite podcast app. Or, click below for the stand-alone episode, We Who Contain Multitudes, the opening of Season 2.

We Who Contain Multitudes, Season 2, Episode 2

In September of 1944, Jarnsaxa meets mysterious strangers whose plane crashes on her island. She hopes they might release her from her witch bottle, and let her escape. When she finds their agenda is more bellicose and cruel than she could imagine, she takes strides to correct them. 

Content warning: extreme violence, frank discussion of sex, frank discussion of racism, fighting Nazis.

(Hey, look at that! I embedded an audio link! It works! Yay, WordPress!)

Why do we keep pulling mythology out to try to cope with what we cannot understand? It’s familiar, it’s adaptive, and it lets us believe that recklessness and flaws have a place in the world. Nature has its own order, humans just try to impose their will on it. Stories let us make sense of our lives. Get yourself more mythic stories, for free!

Episode 8: Charged and Grounded

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jarnsaxa-blue
Illustration by Matt Lichtenwalner.

Jarnsaxa’s final battle with Balder and Thor forces her to abandon her usual tactics. Using Nikea’s flash drive, she explodes the witch bottle, attacking the corporation in a sonic storm. Thor takes her to Yggdrasil. Reunited with Eric, she must make hard choices about the future for her own children, and Eric’s.

Listen now!

A transcript of Episode 8 is available here, via Google Drive.

For more information about the cast and crew, visit

Creative Team

Join our community!

https://www.patreon.com/6630Productions

Twitter: @JarnsaxaRising

https://www.facebook.com/JarnsaxaRising/

Episode 7: The Flow Of Current

LindsayHFLeave a comment

1024px-Dendera03Despite Sif’s new wisdom and Eric’s new insight about his relationships, Thor obstructs their mission. Loki uses his experience as the mother of Slepnir to gain Skuld’s trust. Eric uses 21st-century tools to stop Thor, and Sif invokes Jarnsaxa. The Interviewer remembers who she is. Heimdall is caught between Sif’s determination and Thor’s stubborness, and must carve his own path without the Aesir. Ratatoskr returns with intelligence from another world.

Special thanks to Tom Boutell for his understanding of .png files, and to Mark Edmundson for his understanding of ancient electricity.

Listen Now via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

A transcript for Episode 7 is available here.

For more information about the cast and crew, visit

https://jarnsaxarising.com/about/creative-team/

Join our community!

https://www.patreon.com/6630Productions

Twitter: @JarnsaxaRising

https://www.facebook.com/JarnsaxaRising/

Episode 6: Conductivity

LindsayHFLeave a comment

lighteningstrike1Season 2, Episode 6: Urd, Sif and Eric connect the pattern between the destruction of Jotunheim, the other Norns’ disappearance, and Jarnsaxa’s mission in Midgard.  Jarnsaxa experiences a new side of Balder, and must protect her witch bottle. Loki and Skuld discover the truth about Jasper and Balder, and Loki sets out on a path of destruction.

Listen Now via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

A transcript for Episode 6 is available here.

For more information about the cast and crew, visit

https://jarnsaxarising.com/about/creative-team/

Join our community!

https://www.patreon.com/6630Productions

Twitter: @JarnsaxaRising

https://www.facebook.com/JarnsaxaRising/

Episode 5: Is This Really You?

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A red squirrel sits on a tree branch, looking somewhat mischievous.
Red Squirrel by hedera.baltica, Wroclaw, Poland.

Season 2, Episode 5: Ratatoskr warns Sif and Eric that something is wrong at Urd’s Well. Jarnsaxa finds that Mr. Wallace has been collecting some mysterious trophies, and recognizes him for who he really is. Heimdall and Thor strain their relationship and mission with threats and deception. Loki makes Stephanie discover her true voice and identity.

Listen Now via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

For more information about the cast and crew, visit

https://jarnsaxarising.com/about/creative-team/

Join our community!

Transcripts for Episode 5 are available now.

https://www.patreon.com/6630Productions

Twitter: @JarnsaxaRising

https://www.facebook.com/JarnsaxaRising/

Episode 4: Is It A Trap?

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Heimdal_verlangt_die_Rückkehr_Iduns_aus_der_Unterwelt
Wilhelm Wagner, Heimdallr desires Iðunn’s return from the underworld,1881.

Listen Now!

Jarnsaxa brings Nikea’s viral weapon back to the Hei Shui corporation, but must continue posing as Agent Bachman and develop diplomatic skills, when The Interviewer gives her a risky invitation. Loki finds Jasper, and lands in the tightest vise he can imagine: the role of a devoted father. Eric and Sif go to Hel, find the trapped Scandia Energy workers from Sottunga, and Agent Bachman adds to the greater mystery. What could Hel want from Sif? Why are the voices of Stephanie, The Interviewer and SoloMom so compelling to Loki and Jarnsaxa?

The transcript for Episode 4 is available here.

Have you met our Creative Team?

Join our community!

https://www.patreon.com/6630Productions

Twitter: @JarnsaxaRising

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JarnsaxaRising/

Episode 3: Take My Hand

LindsayHFLeave a comment

Episode 3 of Season 2 is ready for you now!

Transcripts of Episodes 1-3 are available via Google Drive, here.

Rosie_the_Riveter_(Vultee)_DS
Photo by Alfred T. Palmer. Public Domain.

Jarnsaxa escapes the Hei Shui Corporation and finds a world more harsh than she expected. She meets Nikea and Rocola, learns what humans really can be, and is given an unusual weapon. Sif and Eric escape to the unknown, and Heimdall shows Thor how disastrous his mission to find Jarnsaxa could be.

This episode uses binaural audio in some scenes.

Have you met our Creative Team yet?

Join our community!

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/6630Productions

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JarnsaxaRising

Twitter: @JarnsaxaRising

New Reviews!

LindsayHFLeave a comment

TAH-DAAAH!
Photo supplied by Beverly +Pack, Flickr. “It is believed that A/2C Courtney is the only WAF Bugler in the Air Force. 23 June 1953”

Two terrific reviews for Jarnsaxa Rising are making their rounds on the Internet!

Podcast enthusiasts know that not much traditional journalism happens with regard to podcasts, especially independent creations. However, a few dedicated, kind souls write about podcasts, and write very well.

Wil Williams is a tireless advocate of podcast media, particularly when it comes to audio drama. She has a keen ear for detail, working to make the world of listening entertainment better. Since her bar is high, we are particularly grateful for her thoughtful consideration of Jarnsaxa Rising. To read more of her thoughts, subscribe to her blog and follow her on Twitter @wilwrites.

“Jarnsaxa Rising” an Exciting, Intriguing Blend of Mythology and Dystopia

Elena Fernández-Collins is another hardworking podcast advocate. She writes for Bello Collective, and publishes a tinyletter called AudioDramatic, in which she reviews podcasts, and provides thoughtful musings on how podcast communities strengthen us as people, sharing ideas through listening. You can also find her on Twitter as @Shomarq. Subscribe to her newsletters for a comforting cup of audio nurturance.

Screen Shot 2018-07-19 at 10.35.34 AM

Podcasting is sometimes a lonely business. After the recording is finished, the process of editing and promotion means a lot of time spent at your desk in front of a screen. Reviews like this make it all worth while. Thank you, ladies, for making us feel like real, live artists.

"The black-browed maid stood upon the bank as the red ship sailed away from Novgorod." Illustration from "The Russian Story Book" by Richard Wilson, illustrated by Frank C. Papé, 1916. Public domain.
“The black-browed maid stood upon the bank as the red ship sailed away from Novgorod.” Illustration from “The Russian Story Book” by Richard Wilson, illustrated by Frank C. Papé, 1916. Public domain.

YOU TOO can put wind in our sails with a review! Share a thought on Twitter and include @JarnsaxaRising so we’ll be notified when you post it! Write a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser! Leave a comment on our Facebook page! The more you share about us, the stronger our community grows.

Thanks for reading! And if you haven’t had a chance to hear the story yet, why not listen now? 

Transcripts are also available.

 

 

 

More new art for Season 2 of Jarnsaxa Rising!

LindsayHFLeave a comment

Have you seen Sif and Eric yet?

Her hair’s shorn (if you’ve heard Season 1, you recall that unfortunate incident), and she’s on a journey. She’s reluctantly agreed to bring Eric along, since they have a common wound from Loki’s trickery.  But where is their next stop? And who’s chasing them?

Sif and Eric
Illustration by Matthew Lichtenwalner. Check out his art at dragonbones.net!

You can listen to Episodes 1 and 2 of Season 2, as well as all of Season 1, via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite pod catcher.

Also, the transcripts of Season 2, Episodes 1 and 2 are available for your reading pleasure.

Do you enjoy what you’ve heard and seen so far? Why not leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser? Reviews move us up in the charts, so more people can find us.

Thanks!