They Might Be Darkfriends - Revealing the Mysteries and Stories Behind the Wheel of Time Fandom

The Darkfriends discuss inner voices and obstacles to content creation, especially leading up to WOT Idol, and Alyssa, Koala and Rob are joined once again by the amazing WOT Cake Lady, Penny! Lauren pops in now and then while making a waygate-load of cinnamon rolls, and Koala tells us all about her new Wheel of Time themed card game, Questioners Vs. Darkfriends! Don't miss this one!

The Darkfriends discuss the mutual FOMO of missing JordanCon 2024, tips for overcoming social anxiety and what they love the most about the Wheel of Time fandom. Why did They Might Be Darkfriends get the works? That's nobody's business but the Nerds! JordanCon 2024 events mentioned: Cursing With Guy Roberts (Three Fold Talk) at Jordancon 2024 (mentioned by Rob) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K03_amA9D8 Guy Roberts' panel on The Wheel of Time at JordanCon 2024 (mentioned by Lauren) - https://www.youtube.com/live/rrsf4IuQ384?si=ZVoQeerbCJstKdJU WoTCon - https://wotcon.com/ Mentioned Podcasts & Content Creators: The Way of the Leaf - https://www.youtube.com/@TheWayOfTheLeaf Three Fold Talk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htVm8sKTio4&list=PLcpDXQ7qgxQ74kgYYZF6Yjl0_4QuLi6Ne&pp=iAQB Malkier Talks - https://www.youtube.com/@MalkierTalks The Dusty Wheel - https://www.youtube.com/@thedustywheel WotUp with Jon - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbl0nJfwdXWANnKEURnFkHg Wheel Takes podcast with Ali and Gus - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wheel-takes/id1491095135 The Wheel Weaves podcast with Dani and Brett - https://www.thewheelweavespodcast.com/ Talk'aran'rhiod showcast - https://www.talkaranrhiod.com/ The Light's Work podcast - https://www.thelightswork.com/ OnlyFinns, home of FOMOcon - https://twitter.com/FoxesSnakes

In episode 10, the Darkfriends open up the stage and are joined by New Creations By Jen, Mor Shadi and Light-Blinded Fool as they discuss Creativity and what drives us to create! SHOW NOTES: Koala’s echidna video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuf93lXdHgg Rob’s “SPIRALING SHAPE” 3D artwork: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/rJ3Wy2 PBS’ Secret City with Commander Mark Kistler - https://youtube.com/@secretcity826?si=9cTPwiRZc4Pedkd4 TMBG featured songs: “Spiraling Shape” - https://youtu.be/Em6v3sF7stM?si=3pohlGcp_SeokzD_ “Mammal” - https://youtu.be/14jjo7MtSzE?si=mXxtBouNBChi9H7W “Meet James Ensor” - https://youtu.be/NA0FJ3akfUs?si=u5EeKar-gKd8o8rj “Meet James Ensor” (live version) - https://youtu.be/rhRlS2Fw_7Q?si=l6_bkspgmjgq3ZQg James Ensor at Art History Project - https://www.arthistoryproject.com/artists/james-ensor/ The Light’s Work podcast #63: “WoT Fan Art” - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lights-work/id1652422375?i=1000648844140 — “SPIRALING SHAPE” lyrics: Down, down, down you go No way to stop As you fall, hear me call No, no, no Listen to this warning and Consider these Simple words of advice Stop, stop, stop Fogging the view, cupping face to the window In darkness you make out a spiraling shape Putting all reason aside you exchange What you got for a thing that's hypnotic and strange The spiraling shape will make you go insane (Everyone wants to see that groovy thing) But everyone wants to see that groovy thing (Everyone wants to see that thing) And nobody knows what it's really like But everyone says it's great And they heard it from the spiral in their eyes This could lead to excellence Or serious injury Only one way to know Go, go, go Go ahead, wreck your life That might be good Who can say what's wrong or right? Nobody can Put out your hands and you fall through the window And clawing at nothing you drop through the void Your terrified screams are inaudible drowned In the spiral ahead and consumed in the shape The spiraling shape will make you go insane (Everyone wants to see that groovy thing) But everyone wants to see that groovy thing (Everyone wants to see that thing) And now that you've tried it, you're back to report That the spiraling shape was a fraud and a fake You didn't enjoy it, you never believed it There won't be a refund, you'll never go back The spiraling shape will make you go insane (Everyone wants to see that groovy thing) But everyone wants to see that groovy thing (Everyone wants to see that thing) And nobody knows what it's really like But everyone says it's great And they heard it from the spiral in their eyes (Spiral in their eyes) Fogging the view, cupping face to the window In darkness you make out a spiraling shape Putting all reason aside you exchange What you got for a thing that's hypnotic and strange The spiraling shape will make you go insane (Everyone wants to see that groovy thing) But everyone wants to see that groovy thing (Everyone wants to see that thing) Don't spend the rest of your life wondering (Everyone wants to see that thing) Don't spend the rest of your life wondering (Everyone wants to see that groovy thing) Don't spend the rest of your life wondering (Everyone wants to see that thing)

The Darkfriends are joined by special guest Rhuarc, host of the Watch Party: Wheel of Time podcast, as they don't discuss sleep, bur rather Imposter Sydrome IRL within the fandom and as dealt with by characters in the Wheel of Time books and show. -- SHOW NOTES: Hello and welcome to They Might Be Darkfriends, a podcast for friends and fans of the Wheel of Time where we discuss anything and everything showing the ups, downs, and tips related to content creation. And lately we've been discussing mental health in the fandom. We're also big fans of They Might Be Giants, a weird band from the 90s that's still making music today. This week - guest Rhuarc joins our four hosts to discuss a topic near and dear to our hearts: Imposter Syndrome - in our lives and in the story we love most Wheel of Time. Rhuarc hosts another Podcast: WatchParty Wheel of Time. Have you listened to them yet? With co-host Saimma and 6 panel members who have not read the books, they get into some fascinating discussions as they work through the TV Show episodes and lots of deep dives. Catch them here: https://wotwatchparty.com/ DISCLAIMER: By no means are we experts. So if you're listening to this podcast and things resonate with you, that's great. We're happy about that. But we also don't want you to necessarily take everything we say as gospel. If there's a need for mental health awareness, if you need to take care of mental illness, please reach out to actual professionals and experts. We are just kind of our own little personal support group, but we don't, you know, we're not experts. TL;DR version: Watch Party Wheel of Time: https://wotwatchparty.wordpress.com/ They Might Be Darkfriends' Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheyMightBeDarkfriends This episode was inspired by They Might Be Giant's "Sleep" - https://youtu.be/FSbEOZY7k20?si=DUgbZFgYk8sRikqt Lyrics: Each (ahh) Time (ahh) I (ahh) Sleep (ahh) I'm (ahh) Sad (ahh) I (ahh) Will be replaced by somebody else In the morning Exactly like me Going around, drinking all my drinks Kissing my wife Thinking what I think Making me resentful but Each Time I Get up in the morning I'm glad I Took Someone else's place

This week, the Darkfriends welcome a new cast-member, Koala Sedai, and have a freeform discussion about seasonal affective disorder, procrastination guilt, imposter syndrome and a lot of other things we deal with as content creators.

Alyssa and Rob are joined by Penny the WOT Cake Lady and the lovely Koala Sedai as they discuss social anxiety WITHIN the fandom, as well as debate whether or not carrot cake counts as cake.

Start counting up your Advil, Darkfriends! Lauren tells all about his trip to Prague and Jordan Studios, the Darkfriends discuss the mental toll of being a content creator, and Rob makes a startling confession. But don't worry, we're not done and we won't be 'till our heads fall off!

In They Might Be Darkfriends’ 5th episode, PARTICLE MAN, the Darkfriends hang out with MorShadi and talk show news, Season 2 and 3 expectations, TTRPGs, accessibility on Twitter and more! Is MorShadi rad, or is he bad? When he’s on a podcast does he get mad? Nobody knows Particle Man… but now you will! --

In They Might Be Darkfriends’ 4th episode, the gang has a group therapy session on the ups and downs of Content Creation, and welcomes their first special guest, Koala Sedai, for a warm discussion on the good, the bad and the Olver of recent Wheel of Time news and experiences, including JordanCon and WOT Idol. Koala also shares some of her work on her on her amazing conservation property (https://linktr.ee/koalagardens). You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll kiss two hours goodbye!

Rob and Lauren discuss some recent Wheel of Time news and then discuss some Frequently Asked Questions regarding the upcoming Wheel of Time Song Parody Contest or WoT Idol 2023! We compare WoT Idol to the They Might Be Giants song entitled "How Can I Sing Like A Girl?" Episode spoilers include some Wheel of Time romance spoilers through book 7, A Crown of Swords.

The three nerds ramble about Wheel of Time (would you erase your WoT knowledge and start over?) and They Might Be Giants with some slight attempts at structure! That structure includes the segments "You might be a Darkfriend if....?", "What made YOU fall in Love with the Wheel of Time," (Alyssa responds this week), and "Nerd Corner," in which Rob explains his long time interest in tabloids. As always, we end with a sneak peek into upcoming Weekly Wheel News headlines.

Welcome to They Might Be Darkfriends - Revealing the Mysteries and Stories Behind the Wheel of Time Fandom! Hosted by Lauren (Unraveling the Pattern), Rob (Weekly Wheel News) and Alyssa (One Power Ballads) This premiere episode was recorded as a livestream in conjunction with the 3rd Year Anniversary of Lauren's very first video release on his YouTube Channel. We discuss how to uncover darkfriends, introduce the theme of the podcast (and theme song!), celebrate 3 fabulous years of Unraveling the Pattern, ponder the unlikelihood of being narcissist with imposter syndrome, nerd out in the "Nerd Corner" with Lauren, get a hint of the next WWN headline, and more!