Episode 146: Tethered to the Cold and Dying by Ray Cluley
Wow, can you believe it? The Dunesteef Audio Fiction Magazine won a Parsec Award! You’ll have to excuse us for getting a little exuberant and talking for a long time about it before we get to the story. You can skip to 17:10 if you want to go straight to the start of the story.
The apocalypse left Jackson’s world a burned out and dismal place. He has lived in Two-Nine with Mother for a long time, without ever dreaming that there might be more out there. But when a stranger comes to his station with a story and some pills to trade, Jackson starts to believe that he might still be able to go up to go forward.
Afterward, Big and Rish talk about hidden meanings in the story, lay out Sonny See’s drinking game rules (see below), and spout some of their other usual B.S. The sky’s the limit no longer!
Special thanks to Sonny See for producing today’s story, to Desia B. and Sonny See lending their voices to today’s episode, and to Caroline Parkinson for providing the art for the show.
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http://traffic.libsyn.com/dunesteef/Dunesteef_146_Tethered_To_The_Cold_And_Dying_by_Ray_Cluley.mp3%20Related Links:
Ray Cluley’s Site
Desia B’s Site
Caroline Parkinson’s Site
Caroline Parkinson’s Blog
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The Tethered to the Cold and Dying Drinking Game!
Take a sip:
1- Every time a line of dialogue, when taken out of context, sounds vulgar or sexual.
example: “I wonder if she’s sucking a tube of synth for her evening meal”
2- Every time a line of dialogue, even when left in context, sounds vulgar or sexual.
example: “My mouth floods with saliva at the thought of hot meat.”
3- For every Jack and the Beanstalk reference you get the first time you listen to the story.
example: “He showed me a handful of pills. They were pale as beans and almost the same size.”
Take two sips:
1: For every Jack and the Beanstalk reference you get the second time you listen to the story:
example: “The man’s name is Hugo and he wants my bone marrow.” (an obvious reference to the Giants wanting to grind up Jack’s bones and eat them with bread that it took me multiple times through the story before I caught it.)
2: Every time someone has to point out a Jack and the Beanstalk reference to you because you had listened to the story so many times you were beginning to get cross eyed. This should be done even if the reference is debatable, you deserve it.
example: When Jackson sends Hugo down with directions to Alph-alpha, a possible reference to Jack killing the giant and him falling into the farmers field, which may have been planted with alfalfa sprouts…….
Drink the entire beverage:
1: If and when you figure out the overly subtle audio ‘easter egg’ that is hidden in the musical transitions between scenes.
September 26, 2013 at 7:16 am
Thank you so much for this everyone, I’m blown away by what you’ve done. Absolutely astounding work – I’m so lucky.
September 26, 2013 at 10:17 am
CONGRATULATIONS on your Parsec Award, very well earned several times over the years. Tethered to the Cold an Dying Was an amazing recording, great reading with awesome sound effects. I don’t usually enjoy scifi but this story was great, and I did clue into the Jack in the Beanstock clues. But what in the sam hills is this Dunesteef pronounced Donesteef about? Typical of you guys, you are always doing something to keep me listening, love your sense of humour!
October 1, 2013 at 1:04 am
Great story, great reading, but I have to wonder if the author has ever met a flock of geese. Leaving them loose in an enclosed area… cleanup would be an ongoing nontrivial problem.