Yes, it's here (and thank you for waiting) - the absurdly long 2-hour Silt Verses Season 2 QnA, hosted by the incredible William A. Wellman of Hello from the Hallowoods.
| ATTENTION: SPOILERS AHEAD! Beyond this point, major plot spoilers are expected. Continue at your own risk. |
Are there any gods that you wanted to show or use this season, but just didn't find an opportunity for?[]
Inspired by the propaganda leaflets dropped during WWII, Jon wanted to include a story where leaflets are dropped and those who manage to catch it and read it are launched into the sky. The story was originally going to be told to Dennis by a barman.
Muna wants to include a chaos god/saint, who turns up at a crucial moment in someone's life to embarrass them.
Jon also mentions a god whose entire purpose is to have a satisfying name to say, so that instead of cursing someone would say it and it would feel better and more cathartic.
In terms of sound design, what was the hardest part to produce? What was the most fun?[]
For the first few episodes, Sammy Holden from Season 1 worked on the sound design. However, Jon wanted to learn how to produce and picked it up from there. Jon finds blocking the hardest part of the production process. For Jon, the most fun part to produce was Chapter 18, when Hayward skewers Sofia Kensey.
Muna says the most fun part to hear come to life was the fight between Carpenter and Mercer in Chapter 29.
Were there any scenes you were particularly pleased with the outcome of?[]
Muna is pleased with the scene with the love-saints in Chapter 21.
Jon is most pleased with the scenes between Paige and Hayward as they create their new god.
What was your Season Two moment where you just looked at the script and went, “Oh, that's a lot!”[]
Méabh says that a lot of this season got a similar response from her, but she especially mentions: the axe murder rampage in Chapter 19; the shootout at the holiday village in Chapter 25; and the final battle in Chapters 28 and 29. Although, the episode that affected her the most was Carpenter's return to her Nana's home in Chapter 24.
B. says that the ending of Chapter 29 was that moment for them.
Jimmie agrees with Méabh that almost every single beat was like that, but particularly when the whales are impaled at the end of Chapter 27.
Daphne says that the end of Chapter 17 was like that for her, because it revealed what type of person Mercer is.
Muna says Chapter 18 again.
Despite writing them, Jon says that he had a few moments where he thought his writing was a bit mean. Namely: the end of Chapter 17 where a character voiced by Cole Weavers dies, Gren's (Pip Gladwin) death in Chapter 18, and Ana and Jeff's death in Chapter 21. He notably does not consider Alf's (Jonny Sims) death as one of these moments. They joke that they've made a habit of killing off horror podcasters.
Are there countries other than the Linger Straits and Peninsula?[]
The Linger Straits and the Peninsula are supposed to be incredibly similar places, Jon says. As a result, he hasn't really thought about how the rest of the world functions, because it isn't important to the story he is telling.
Muna adds that it can become a similar problem to what Game of Thrones struggles with.
How do you cope with managing an increasing number of plot lines and characters throughout The Silt Verses?[]
Muna admits that's its careful planning and being very strict with themselves about the plot.
Jon adds that with audiodrama it can become difficult if too many characters are introduced to keep track of them all. As well as with being an independent production, there's always natural constraints that go along with that. Although there ended up being five plotlines (Carpenter's, Faulkner's, Paige and Hayward's, Mercer and Gage's and Shrue's) it already felt too expansive at times.
I love what Paige and Hayward have going on. How would you describe their dynamic?[]
Jon saw someone online say "the paladin and the prophet" in relation to these two. Primarily, we have Paige who really needs a disciple and Hayward who really needs a cause. He is tentative to say that there is something romantic about their relationship. It is not a straightforwards romance, but might be subtextually seen in that light.
Favourite line or favourite line read in Season Two?[]
Jimmie's favourite line is Acantha's question to Carpenter in Chapter 17, "Do you think you could be happy, living here in the garden?"
Méabh's favourite line is "I'm taking the axe" in Chapter 19.
Daphne's favourite line is "Mine" in Chapter 16.
Jon and B.'s favourite line is Dennis Duplass' "Isn't my daughter clever? Isn't my daughter something?" in Chapter 27.
Muna's favourite line is Dennis' “I know why you hate me. I get it, I use you all the time. I use your brilliance for all it's worth. I ask you for money when I need it because I know you can't say no. But the thing is, kid? Brilliant people, they get eaten up every day." in Chapter 26.
Jimmie. How are you so good?[]
Jimmie is incredibly humble, he jokes that it's because the Watcher in the Wings is his roommate.
Are the hunter twins as young or younger than Faulkner?[]
Mercer and Gage are younger than Faulkner. By making them so young they are the end product of the awful world they inhabit.
Does Faulkner have combat training?[]
Faulkner does not do as well for himself as we are led to believe. He's 50/50 for success and failure in combat. People underestimate him which allows him to take them by surprise.
Is the Season 2 finale the last we'll see of Gage?[]
There are a few characters in the show who are AWOL but not dead. At this point, Jon cannot say either way if Gage will return.
Was the Glooming Guest inspired by the UK miner's strikes?[]
Yes, particularly to the Knockers/Tommyknockers.
If you could play any other character in this podcast or another one who would it be?[]
B. would like to play a follower of Reverend Toes, particularly a comrade of the Buzzsaw Woman, the Buzzsaw Bud.
Méabh loves Mercer and Gage and the Buzzsaw Woman from Chapter 25.
Jimmie would love to play the Trawler-man.
Daphne would like to play Gage.
William would not play another character, but reveals that they named Chuck Harm in this interview.
S1 was very monologue heavy, but especially toward the latter half of S2 we're taken less and less out of the immediate action to hear it narrated to us. Was this intentional?[]
Muna says Season 1 needed to set up the world and establish character backgrounds, so narration made more sense. Season 2 is more focused on keeping things interesting.
Jon adds that there needed to be less and less confessional monologues because we understand the characters and their motivations better.
Who is the coolest god? Which one could you get a beer with?[]
Muna says the Glooming Guest.
Jon says the Cairn Maiden.
Is there a future where we can see side story episodes not tied directly to the story?[]
Maybe, as spin-offs.
Talk more about the echo angel episode![]
B. loves this episode because of how much development Faulkner receives in it.
Jon responds that the episode, of course, draws many parallels between Carpenter and Faulkner in Chapter 1 and Faulkner and Thurrocks here. It was a really fun eposide, which shows Faulkner's development of empathy and as a Messiah, and foreshadows Thurrocks' role in the latter part of the season.
Is ethical necromancy possible under divine capitalism?[]
Muna believes that if necromancy existed under capitalism it'd be used for slave/prison labour. She therefore doesn't think it's possible under capitalism.
Jon says that the most ethical faiths in The Silt Verses are scavenger gods. He says necromancy could be ethical, because it uses what's been left behind and not stripping away someone's personhood.
What resources would you recommend to aspiring podcast teams with respect to the production pipeline and showrunning? And are there any underrated pieces of advice that you could give us?[]
Muna says all of their recording is done remotely, and that they use Audacity.
Jon confirms that they still use Audacity. The plug-ins they use are RX Elements, Walker, EW Spaces, Epidemic Sound, Envanto Elements, and Freesound. He recommends revelling in being a "jack of all trades". Trying out voice acting helps with recommending decent USB-microphones.
William recommends learning your own pace and taking your time.
How did you come up with Paige's god?[]
Jon finds it funny that the question was addressed to "the writing team", and he is the whole writing team. A lot of what Paige and Hayward say while brainstorming The Many Below is what they said while coming up with the concept. Ultimately they landed on the idea of suicide as an act of martyrdom and sabotage to the system the world functions on.
Could you talk about your inspiration for the Cairn Maiden?[]
Muna says she was raised Muslim and there's a lot of care taken in regards to the dead in Islam.
Jon says that it is also partially Ancient Egyptian inspired. Jon says that as someone who used to be fairly religious and now isn't, he thought about what he'd want to hear. What is reassuring in death, if nothing is certain? Carpenter's prayer, "There's nowhere left to go; you can stop fighting now; you can stop struggling, it's okay. This was the place you were always meant to get to.", is something Jon would like to hear. Similarly, the Homesick Corpse's final words to Carpenter, "What do you regret?", is about what Jon would regret if he were to die prematurely.
How did Méabh get into voice work?[]
Méabh says that playing Carpenter is a challenge and a privilege. She loves acting, and says it's necessary to her. She has been a performer since she was 12 (possibly younger), and unfortunately due to day-job commitments and living somewhere without a theatre, acting opportunities for her were limited. Getting cast in Omen gave her the confidence to really give voice work a go. In lockdown she binged I Am In Eskew and went to follow them on Twitter. She saw their casting call and the rest is history!
A lot of horror audio dramas tend to reveal or overexplain — is it difficult to resist showing too much to the audience?[]
Jon doesn't think he has solved that problem. He doesn't see The Silt Verses as a scary show. There is no mystery behind the world he has created here. He struggled with that in Season 2. Muna, Jon and William mutually agree on the genre 'New Weird'.
What parts of the new worldbuilding did you really want to get into for this season?[]
Muna was really excited for the geopolitical elements of the worldbuilding this season. But she really enjoys the smaller foes, particularly Mercer and Gage.
Jimmie – how do you feel about Hayward's journey from cop to rebel?[]
Jimmie loves it. He's excited to see what Hayward can achieve next, if he can manage to get things together for long enough for it to make a difference.
What inspired you to create Mercer, Gage, and the Beast That Stalks In The Long Grass?[]
Jon says The Duke Of Burgundy by Peter Strickland was a huge inspiration. It reminded him of the Gibbons sisters. To Jon, it's a tragedy. They realised they couldn't go on like that, but they couldn't get apart from each other as long as they were together. Mercer and Gage also pose the question: what does it mean to be so close to someone that they are a core part of your own identity? And when you've created something together? They initially seem like the two characters who work together and agree on everything, only for it turn out not to be that at all.
Is it possible that Carpenter’s behavior in season 2 is being influenced by the snare dog bite she got in season 1?[]
Méabh loves that we get to see more aspects of Carpenter this season. She doesn't think her behaviour is affected by the snare dogs. Instead, she thinks we are finally able to see the Carpenter who is a legend among the Parish of Tide and Flesh. She has an incredibly casual relationship with violence and murder - but she sees it as dirty work. She is not giving into violent impulses, but rather falling back into old habits.
Jon admits that due to the audio format, it's difficult to choreograph a struggle. As a result characters will often succeed at what they attempt to do. Carpenter does seem incredibly competent. But this is in line with what we know of her. She isn't a violent character, more exploring the implicit violence and anger that she carries around with her.
Daphne, what was your favourite scene to perform?[]
Daphne loved any scene where she had to laugh maniacally.
What was the thought process behind how Mercer and Gage's plotline wrapped itself up?[]
Jon says that the plot was always going to be about a character who is committed to their path and one who is pulling away, and their collisions. This would mirror Carpenter and Faulkner. Two people who cannot escape from each other.
Did the way you think about Carpenter and Faulkner's relationship change between writing season 1 and season 2?[]
The relationship between Carpenter and Faulkner is primarily one of entanglement. They cannot escape each other, no matter how hard they try. They are family because they will always be central to one another. Jon listened to a lot of Mountain Goats while writing this season and the line from No Children "We'll go down together, hand in unlovable hand" stood out to him.
Are there any characters and or arcs that have been much better received than you expected, or conversely didn't get the expected love?[]
For Jon, Chapter 20 was better received than he thought it would be. He kept getting stuck on it because he thought it was terrible.
Muna adds that Jon hated this episode. Muna loved it the whole time. It's her favourite episode.
Could you talk a bit about the sound design for the final two episodes? (The battle)[]
Muna says she felt tense. There was so much to do and pull together in terms of sound design.
Jon says it was both a labour of love and really stupid. It was a great learning experience due to the number of voice actors in the sequence and SFX needed to convey different locations. Partly they got around this by not spending too long in the centre of the action.
Is Faulkner canonically trans?[]
The short answer is that yes, Faulkner is a trans man.
Can we please have a very vague hint to the events of Season 3?[]
Muna says there will be an unexpected antagonist.
Jon says that a big theme for Season 3 is about legacy and what we leave behind.