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Welcome to a brand-new bonus Fireside format: WITCHIN' AND BITCHIN'!

Halloween is one of our favorite holidays here at Worlds Beyond Number, and we couldn't possibly let spooky season pass without a little celebration. So gather 'round the cauldron for some good old-fashioned witchin', bitchin', and spirited discussion of all things horror, Halloween, and the things that go bump in the night.

Fun fact: I (Mel) once referred to myself as the "resident witch" while in the studio, and Erika and Aabria nearly smacked me on the spot. I simply forgot who I was talking to. IN MY DEFENSE, I have credentials. I can perform the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, thank you very much.

A quick disclaimer: I did not prepare to be "on camera" for this recording and, at the time, did not even own a microphone. So the audio is a little... cursed. It won't happen again. This is why it's an EXTRA bonus episode. Please forgive me.

Anyway! Join us as we rant, rave, witch, and bitch our way through our favorite spooky season subjects. And don't forget to tell us your favorite Halloween tradition, horror movie, or spooky season activity in the comments below! A WOO WOO, CACKLE CACKLE!

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Comments

Erin Morse

Oooh yay for new bone-cone!!!!!!! So excited to bitch with witches!

Britt Anderson

Ooooooh bone cone! Can’t wait to listen on my way home today!

Val

I will never have enough witch content keep it coming hehehehehe

Sam Rapine

Is it spooky season content if it's not a LITTLE cursed?

Gogo M

Actually it is I that is the resident witch

Amaru Chavez

My Halloween hear me out cake is Xenomorph Queen

EepySKetches

TMNT 3- Erika knows the good shit every time

Kael McDonald

Deeply appreciative that Mel has already managed to out-Horner-Corner Erika multiple times within the first half of the show

The Wizard Chef

My home-made Halloween decor, classic Jack-o-lanterns !

El

We have a bar that has giant skellies on its roof year round

Just a Fox

Definitely make more Witchin' And Bitchin' bone cone! Spooky Season lasts throughout november, after all 🎃

Rachael

I would like to recommend Otherworld for an amazing spooky podcast!

Cade Frieden

My mother used to make our Halloween costumes and they were always the best! However my kiddo hates them so we are doing store bought 😭 The tradition I did bring forward is "orange dinner" on Halloween night before trick or treat. Everything thing in the plate is orange (Mac and cheese, pumpkin ravioli, oranges, persimmons, etc)

Gregory Moskowitz

We also have 12 ft skeletons year round here in denver theres a place i can see from my apartment that does every holiday labor day it just had a sign that says eat the rich. In fact an even bigger skeleton has started showing up this year that's only the top half of a skeleton crawling out of the grave. But its top half is like 2x bigger so if it wasnt cut in half it would be 18-20 ft.

Bea W

Mel you could've said CACKLE CACKLE

The Spirit of Vicious Inspiration

yay bone cone! my fav spooky season activity in Brooklyn is walking around Green-Wood Cemetery 🪦 it's essentially NYC's first "public park" (it was the inspo for Prospect & Central Parks!) and is a top tier arboretum with 478 acres with a ton of winding paths (and monk parakeets nested in its gothic arches 🦜) highly recommend!

SpaceNerd

28:49 Forgive me if I'm wrong, but isn't the thing mentioned here a Navajo tradition that isn't supposed to be talked about, at least by outsiders?

David Anderson

Spooky Season starts August 30 (Mary Shelley's birthday) and runs until November 7 ( Solar Samhain which is between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice).

Ashley

Costume convo very motivational as I'm seam ripping and trying to reposition ears on a hood for a gengar costume I'm trying to make for my own little wild one (I've cried twice, but I'm trying to keep going)

JAY

I seen Erika on Abbott Elementary!! Whooo

Alyssa

Ahhhhh! Spooky bone cone!!! 🔮 Melanie Bowman, Avatar of the People, Queen of the Merchandise, and Falcon Amongst Ducks… Respectfully, which honorific should we add to your titles?? 1. (One of a few) Resident Witch(es) 2. Out Crazier of Crazies 3. Whipper-Outer of Titties A-woo-woo, tarot tarot! 🔮

Alyssa

As someone who grew up in New England, specifically near Salem, MA, you guys gotta do some spooky season in New England sometime!! 🍁🍂👻👻👻

CarpeBootium

So is Mel ranting like Brennan or is Brennan ranting like Mel? Either way, I’m here for it.

El

One of my favorite spooky time traditions is my friends and I usually have a themed game night - some of my favorite games we have played for it are Unfathomable and Zombiside

CarpeBootium

The “whip a tit out” defense is WILD! Horner Corner is going to ROCK!

RahneFace

I start celebrating Halloween in August, because that's my birthday month 🙂‍↕️

Anna S

I LOVE the homemade spooky traditions thing! I started making brooms this year which has been SO fun, and will definitely be a new tradition going forward. I also like to do simmer pots to make my house smell cozy.

Simon Mills

Erika being in NZ for Halloween is a tough one. There are a few Halloween-y things around but we certainly do not go for it as hard as the yanks do.

sleepysappie

I'm all the way on board for Familyween... we need to make MORE Halloween events and I believe sincerely they should, will and must be costumed (also we don't have thanksgiving here, and but I think we need less colonial holidays and more Halloween-adjacent holidays. Also I love the idea of more slow, DIY, homemade holidays... I love having a theme and I feel like here (in australia) people go a lot more 'all out' for something like Christmas as opposed to Halloween... I think slow deliberate little DIY elements and spending time with family or friends in the spirit of halloween is such a sweet idea<3 Thank you Erika, thank you Mel... you understand the true spirit of Halloween...

sleepysappie

(also this year I crocheted a 'fairy dress' for my costume and made my own wings out of tulle). Also also I definitely agree with the idea of things being 'uncanny valley' haunting being scary that the 'real' things we see in our lives. I think I remember someone saying that often 'uncanny valley' human being-like things look scary to us b/c it is your brain registering what a dead body would look like and knowing that it's 'off' and it would be diseased/dangerous to touch (like a decomposing body) but I have no idea if it's true or not. I'm also fascinated by the idea of some people finding someone 'uncanny valley disturbing' and others not (like clowns as Erika said) but for me I often find animatronics to be quite haunting (in the way that they move and sometimes look). Especially older animatronics. And I'm so interested in the idea of why some people mentally register something as uncanny valley and others not. Anyway<3

Joshua H Katz

Elle (2016) essentially is the home invader twisted relationship Erica mentions as possible. And it is as problematic as you would think.

The Wizard Solemn

Mel, Avatar of the people has ascended to her rightful place in the bone cone yet again

Cos

You can do it! I believe in you! 😄 Hope a little comment helps.

A Miyako M Illustrations

OOOOOH what a delightful tarot pull!!! For a few years I’ve had some sort of homemade owl spirit costume idea rattling around in my brain. It’s too late for this Halloween, but maybe next year will be the year I level up my hot glue gun skills!

Justin M

Listened to this on my way home from going to Devil’s Quarter at The Obscure. Very much love some wonderfully chaotic spooky season talks

Duck

The last couple years my Halloween tradition has been making a post asking for "trick or treaters" and then for each person I find a random wikipedia article (there's a button on the site for that) and tell them about it! Very fun but you would not believe how many futbol players there are on wikipedia, truly

The Rat Merchling

What a nice surprise! We don't have many traditions cause Halloween is not as popular in Europe, but me and my sister prepare a feast and watch horror movies! Also it is a custom to go to a cemetery and light candles for your deceased loved ones. So we do that and make a point to go after dark because cemeteries become alight with candles and it's very beautiful and touching. Happy Halloween everyone, a woo woo, cackle cackle!

Jess A

Great timing, Lindsay Nikole (zoologist) on youtube just did an episode specifically on the origins of the uncanny valley and what various studies on it have shown.

David Silva

Mel is incredible and I had no idea this whole time.

Tommy Deibel

I love Thanksgiving! Not for it's mythology--but because it's centered around a feast and I love food.

Kyle

But wait my cousins and I made a holiday called Thanks-a-ween to avoid the usual thanksgiving trappings and just celebrate together because we wanted a day with less pressure!

Pastblast

Gotta love the shout out to Glen Washington and the whole Spooked Crew!!!

Sam K

Mel’s voice is so delightful

Radical Weft

I tend to go to Halloween parties thrown by the sorts of people who are really, really into Halloween and costuming (cosplayers, magicians, horror podcasters), so I feel like I could never show up in an amazon costume, even if I'm also not going to have the best made costume of the night. This year I went as Sam Reich and my husband went as a PA/the podium, and we created ten mini games that people could roll a die and play. If they won, they got a sticker. Last year we were AI slop. Also, somewhat related - my favorite local to me tradition is the Bare Bones puppet show, which is super rad and just amazing artistry - https://racketmn.com/32-haunting-scenes-from-the-33rd-barebones-halloween-extravaganza-at-powderhorn-park This year there was a 30 foot centipede (there was one person for every four legs, they were controlled by a rowing machine-like apparatus and the effect was really, really cool)