Dancing Stickman

The year is 2175. Despite the wars, trials, and upheavals of the early 21st century, humanity has managed to not only survive, but thrive. This unlikely outcome is largely attributed to a dedicated group of dreamers who chose to think in future tense. Rather than succumbing to the despair and hopelessness of their circumstances, they coalesced around sharing their visions of a better world for their descendants. This act of collective imagining created a destination, paved the path, and illuminated the way. However you create, whatever your practice, share the future that you want to build with us at https://www.dancingstickman.com/next150.

How do I actually bridge the gap between "starving artist" and "sustainable creator"? In this update episode of Worldsbuilder, I’m pulling back the curtain on the business of creativity to share the core philosophies driving my production company. For the first time, I’m defining my "artist-first" approach to creative execution. I discuss how collaborative art and audience participation are the foundation for what comes next in the ever-shifting media landscape. In this episode, we cover: The Dancing Stickman Business Philosophy: Why I believe an "artists-first" mindset is the key to growing the company. Production Company Status: A transparent look at where Dancing Stickman stands today, the wins, and the hurdles of being an individual contributor in a crowded market. The "Monetization" Strategy: Why I’m officially transitioning to a new monthly publishing cadence and how this strategic shift is designed to optimize audience growth, workflow, and revenue. The Road Ahead: What you can expect from this new schedule and how it serves the long-term goal of making a living through art. Whatever kind of artist you are, this episode offers a raw look at the infrastructure required to turn a passion project into a professional studio. About Worldsbuilder: Worldsbuilder explores the intersection of art and business, interviewing creatives across media about building sustainable creative lives and livelihoods.

How do we move beyond the canon of traditional gaming to create spaces where every player feels empowered to participate and create? Prolific game designer Quinn Murphy of Thoughtcrime Games, shares his philosophy, "Imagination is for Everyone," exploring how tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs) are the ultimate form of entertainment by turning consumers into active collaborators. In this episode, we discuss: The Business of Imagination: How Quinn approaches indie RPG design and publishing on platforms like Itch.io. TTRPGs as the Best Medium: Why the interactive, communal nature of roleplaying offers a depth of engagement that other media can’t match. Democratizing Creativity: Breaking down the barriers that prevent people from feeling creative enough to play or design. Sustainable Creativity: Insights into Quinn’s process and his blog, where he deconstructs the mechanics of play and storytelling. Whether you are a game designer, a professional creator, or a fan of the tabletop hobby, this conversation offers a masterclass in how to build worlds that belong to everyone. Resources Mentioned: Thoughtcrime Games on Itch.io: thoughtcrimegames.itch.io Imagination Is For Everyone blog: thoughtcrimegames.beehiiv.com The Wildfire Trilogy actual play by the One Shot Podcast About Worldsbuilder: Worldsbuilder explores the intersection of art and business, interviewing creatives across media about building sustainable creative lives and livelihoods.  

I talk with Sam Bempong - multi-hyphenate film producer, creative entrepreneur, and community organizer - about what it takes to build the infrastructure for narrative film in your city. As a co-founder of #MakeItBay, she's been at the forefront of strengthening the narrative film industry in Oakland, Berkeley, and across the East Bay. Topics include: Topics include: independent film production, creative entrepreneurship, film financing, local film economies, narrative storytelling, Bay Area filmmaking, arts organizing, and building a career in the business of art.

This episode is a reflection on the way art is used to manipulate reality, for good or ill. Trigger warning that this episode discusses the Epstein files, and the revelations the recent release have unveiled about celebrity culture, patriarchy, and social conditioning. The discussion moves from the societal to the personal, tracking the way that larger forces create conditions that permeate both our external and internal circumstances.  

face-eating leopards OR FAFO Original poem by Sara Brink (2024) The spiritual community exhorts us at this time to stay grounded in our bodies, so I offer this prayer/curse/warning as a reminder of exactly what our bodies can feel. May we protect the vulnerable. May the next tent pole find purchase ten inches deeper.   Trigger warning: gore

Welcome to Dancing Stickman!  This isn’t a typical podcast feed. I’m Sara Brink, creative director, and here’s how it works: each season is a complete, standalone narrative or experiment, and you can jump in anywhere. Between story seasons, I publish Worldsbuilder, interviews about the business of creativity — how artists make a living, sustain their work, and stay creative. Where to Start Story: Oops, All Witches – a complete D&D actual play campaign featuring the Witch Class created by Worlds Beyond Number. Perfect if you want to dive straight into story. Experimental Gameplay: Broken Sky – a short, self-contained ARG with puzzles, mini-games, and interactive content created alongside other tabletop designers. Explore the full ARG here: www.brokensky.blue Creative Business: Worldsbuilder – standalone interviews about making a living as an artist. Listen to any episode that catches your interest. Why You’ll Love This Feed Short, finished projects — start and finish without commitment. Stories, experimental gameplay, and insights into creative work. Discover unique tabletop campaigns, interactive ARGs, and audio storytelling. Links & Resources Oops, All Witches homepage: www.oopsallwitches.com Broken Sky ARG & interactive content: www.brokensky.blue Learn more about Dancing Stickman and upcoming projects: www.dancingstickman.com

Ash, Annette, Andy, and I reunite to chat about the end of Oops, All Witches. We talk witches, gods, and monsters, using fiction to represent ideal real-world solutions, and what comes next for Aelia.   Oops, All Witches was a Dancing Stickman production. Ashlyn Sparrow as Nia Annette Lee as Ofelia Andy Mack as Emmett Sara Brink as the Dungeon Master This episode was produced, edited, and sound designed by Sara Brink. Our album and poster art was illustrated by Andy Mack. Character art designed by Nalakwsis. This Dungeons & Dragons actual play is a playtest of the Witch class created by Mazey Veselak and Brandes Stoddard for Worlds Beyond Number. Check out the Worlds Beyond Number Patreon and listen to The Wizard, The Witch, and The Wild One wherever you get your podcasts. www.oopsallwitches.com

In the wake of Renee Good's execution by the state, I have some things to say about American politics, art and fascism, and the expansion of our imaginations. Let's dream up a better world, and then let's build it.

You may know her as Nia from Oops, All Witches, but game designer and scholar Ashlyn Sparrow sat down with me today to talk about transmedia games, the future of the game industry, and how games can function as everything from educational tools to political praxis. From ARGs to emerging media, Ash offers a sharp, accessible look at how games reflect real life, how interactive storytelling is evolving, and how media makers and game designers can build systems that inspire civic engagement, collective action, and social change.

No better way to learn from one's mistakes than to publish them publicly on the internet, right? This is a breakdown of Broken Sky, a transmedia alternate reality game that I ran over July 2025. Join me for lessons learned from the experience.   See the archive of Broken Sky here.

How do we make a living making art? Kenna Alexander from Coyote & Crow Games joins me to talk about how they bootstrapped a game company after their surprise $1 million Kickstarter campaign demonstrated the demand for indigenous representation in tabletop gaming. Hear about their triumphs and their pitfalls when building a for-profit company with a built-in ethical system. Note: this episode was recorded in February 2025, prior to Kenna's transition and name change. Get an episode transcript here. Connor's Coyote & Crow links: Website Linktree Bluesky    

Four Souls are drawn to the yawning Void at the center of their existences.  Sarah Purcell as Minerva Annette Moran Lee as Ofelia Sara Brink and Jacob Wolf Lefton as the Game Masters This episode was supplemental material for players of the Broken Sky ARG. It contains a clue designed to move players from Act 2 to Act 3. Casual listeners: These co-GM'ed scenes ran both Wickedness and D&D simultaneously, pairing our PCs across universes to create overlapping scenes. What you hear in these episodes are the intertwined stories of both actual plays in real time. ARG participants: In this episode, discover a hidden object invisible to the characters. Only players who carefully followed the Act 1 clues could spot these items and unlock the path from Act 2 to Act 3 of the ARG.

*SPOILERS* for the Oops, All Witches finale, publishing 12/31/25. The strands of the Web draw a Wild Spirit and a Great Spirit to a captive trapped by the remnant of a vanquished god at its center. Maricarmen Guitérrez Castro as Circe Ashlyn Sparrow as Nia Sara Brink and Jacob Wolf Lefton as the Game Masters This episode was supplemental material for players of the Broken Sky ARG. It contains a clue designed to move players from Act 2 to Act 3. Casual listeners: These co-GM'ed scenes ran both Wickedness and D&D simultaneously, pairing our PCs across universes to create overlapping scenes. What you hear in these episodes are the intertwined stories of both actual plays in real time. ARG participants: In this episode, discover a hidden object invisible to the characters. Only players who carefully followed the Act 1 clues could spot these items and unlock the path from Act 2 to Act 3 of the ARG.

Three witches of the Heart converge in the depths of the unconscious between worlds.  Ariella Weigl as Charley Oleander Mack as Emmett Sara Brink and Jacob Wolf Lefton as the Game Masters This episode was supplemental material for players of the Broken Sky ARG. It contains a clue designed to move players from Act 2 to Act 3. Casual listeners: These co-GM'ed scenes ran both Wickedness and D&D simultaneously, pairing our PCs across universes to create overlapping scenes. What you hear in these episodes are the intertwined stories of both actual plays in real time. ARG participants: In this episode, discover a hidden object invisible to the characters. Only players who carefully followed the Act 1 clues could spot these items and unlock the path from Act 2 to Act 3 of the ARG.

The sky is breaking. Something is watching. Jacob Wolf Lefton as Twin 2 Sara Brink as the Dungeon Master This episode is one of two inciting incidents of Broken Sky, a transmedia alternate reality game set alongside Oops, All Witches. These episodes introduce the story world and the characters' journeys. Casual listeners: Enjoy the story as a standalone scene. Puzzle fans: Players could solve interactive clues embedded on Bluesky to progress through the ARG. Check out the Broken Sky website for the archive of the game, including original mini TTRPGs. Episodes HEART, SPIRIT, and SOUL contained hidden puzzles for those who followed along in the game.

The sky is breaking. Something is calling. Sara Brink as Twin 1 Jacob Wolf Lefton as The Narrator This episode is one of two inciting incidents of Broken Sky, a transmedia alternate reality game set alongside Oops, All Witches. These episodes introduce the story world and the characters' journeys. Casual listeners: Enjoy the story as a standalone scene. Puzzle fans: Players could solve interactive clues embedded on Bluesky to progress through the ARG. Check out the Broken Sky website for the archive of the game, including original mini TTPRGs. Episodes HEART, SPIRIT, and SOUL contained hidden puzzles for those who followed along in the game.

Every ending is a new beginning. Though the chapter closes with witches lost, the next is determined by their choices. Corruption, chaos, change, and a new order. We conclude the tale with women at the center. This episode concludes Oops, All Witches. Thanks for joining us! Content warning: This series contains potentially upsetting themes, including mind control, harm to children and animals, and death. Oops, All Witches is a Dancing Stickman production. Ashlyn Sparrow as Nia Annette Lee as Ofelia Oleander Mack as Emmett Sara Brink as the Dungeon Master This episode was produced, edited, and sound designed by Sara Brink. Our album and poster art was illustrated by Oleander Mack. Character art designed by Nalakwsis. This Dungeons & Dragons actual play is a playtest of the Witch class created by Mazey Veselak and Brandes Stoddard for Worlds Beyond Number. Check out the Worlds Beyond Number Patreon and listen to The Wizard, The Witch, and The Wild One wherever you get your podcasts. www.oopsallwitches.com

When bonds are broken, to whom falls the responsibility of repair? The Weaver makes, yes, but unmakes also. Is she the Void? Is she the Web? Is she You? The witches bear the burden of balance. Content warning: This series contains potentially upsetting themes, including mind control, harm to children and animals, and death. Oops, All Witches is a Dancing Stickman production. Ashlyn Sparrow as Nia Annette Lee as Ofelia Oleander Mack as Emmett Sara Brink as the Dungeon Master This episode was produced, edited, and sound designed by Sara Brink. Our album and poster art was illustrated by Oleander Mack. Character art designed by Nalakwsis. This Dungeons & Dragons actual play is a playtest of the Witch class created by Mazey Veselak and Brandes Stoddard for Worlds Beyond Number. Check out the Worlds Beyond Number Patreon and listen to The Wizard, The Witch, and The Wild One wherever you get your podcasts. www.oopsallwitches.com

Here at the center of the Web, reality converges, splits, converges again. The witches level up to their final form, an amalgamation made whole, a spirit made flesh. What story will they weave when they must weave it together?  Content warning: This series contains potentially upsetting themes, including mind control, harm to children and animals, and death. Oops, All Witches is a Dancing Stickman production. Ashlyn Sparrow as Nia Annette Lee as Ofelia Oleander Mack as Emmett Sara Brink as the Dungeon Master This episode was produced, edited, and sound designed by Sara Brink. Our album and poster art was illustrated by Oleander Mack. Character art designed by Nalakwsis. This Dungeons & Dragons actual play is a playtest of the Witch class created by Mazey Veselak and Brandes Stoddard for Worlds Beyond Number. Check out the Worlds Beyond Number Patreon and listen to The Wizard, The Witch, and The Wild One wherever you get your podcasts. www.oopsallwitches.com

Nia keeps a promise. The wheel turns, the ships continue to their destinations, and we reconvene at the center of the web. Here where all points meet, we converge in a tomb of Order. Content warning: This series contains potentially upsetting themes, including mind control, harm to children and animals, and death. Oops, All Witches is a Dancing Stickman production. Ashlyn Sparrow as Nia Annette Lee as Ofelia Oleander Mack as Emmett Sara Brink as the Dungeon Master This episode was produced, edited, and sound designed by Sara Brink. Our album and poster art was illustrated by Oleander Mack. Character art designed by Nalakwsis. This Dungeons & Dragons actual play is a playtest of the Witch class created by Mazey Veselak and Brandes Stoddard for Worlds Beyond Number. Check out the Worlds Beyond Number Patreon and listen to The Wizard, The Witch, and The Wild One wherever you get your podcasts. www.oopsallwitches.com

Separated and alone. Emmett learns the depths of the Church's depravity. Ofelia confronts corruption and puts the pieces together. Everything converges at the tip of the spear. Content warning: This series contains potentially upsetting themes, including mind control, harm to children and animals, and death. Oops, All Witches is a Dancing Stickman production. Ashlyn Sparrow as Nia Annette Lee as Ofelia Oleander Mack as Emmett Sara Brink as the Dungeon Master This episode was produced, edited, and sound designed by Sara Brink. Our album and poster art was illustrated by Oleander Mack. Character art designed by Nalakwsis. This Dungeons & Dragons actual play is a playtest of the Witch class created by Mazey Veselak and Brandes Stoddard for Worlds Beyond Number. Check out the Worlds Beyond Number Patreon and listen to The Wizard, The Witch, and The Wild One wherever you get your podcasts. www.oopsallwitches.com

What a wicked web we weave. Corruption bears a lasting mark. The witches must dive deep to uncover the rot at the core of the Order's plans, but when Chaos reigns, the best laid plans go oft astray. This episode concludes Arc 3 of Oops, All Witches. "Grey Eyes" was written by Sara Brink. Instrumentation and performance by The Forgetmenauts. Content warning: This series contains potentially upsetting themes, including mind control, harm to children and animals, and death. Oops, All Witches is a Dancing Stickman production. Ashlyn Sparrow as Nia Annette Lee as Ofelia Oleander Mack as Emmett Sara Brink as the Dungeon Master This episode was produced, edited, and sound designed by Sara Brink. Our album and poster art was illustrated by Oleander Mack. Character art designed by Nalakwsis. This Dungeons & Dragons actual play is a playtest of the Witch class created by Mazey Veselak and Brandes Stoddard for Worlds Beyond Number. Check out the Worlds Beyond Number Patreon and listen to The Wizard, The Witch, and The Wild One wherever you get your podcasts. www.oopsallwitches.com

Reconnaissance, infiltration, interrogation. The question remains: what is going on? The Witches circle the outside of the vortex at the center of Hadari, but the pull of corruption draws them in. Content warning: This series contains potentially upsetting themes, including mind control, harm to children and animals, and death. Oops, All Witches is a Dancing Stickman production. Ashlyn Sparrow as Nia Annette Lee as Ofelia Oleander Mack as Emmett Sara Brink as the Dungeon Master This episode was produced, edited, and sound designed by Sara Brink. Our album and poster art was illustrated by Oleander Mack. Character art designed by Nalakwsis. This Dungeons & Dragons actual play is a playtest of the Witch class created by Mazey Veselak and Brandes Stoddard for Worlds Beyond Number. Check out the Worlds Beyond Number Patreon and listen to The Wizard, The Witch, and The Wild One wherever you get your podcasts. Grab a downloadable episode transcript here. www.oopsallwitches.com

Do we sail towards chaos or are we chased there? The storm rages, waves crash, sending ships spinning towards the center. Beware. The visions that appear to us - eldritch, many-limbed, squamous - may not be what they seem. Content warning: This series contains potentially upsetting themes, including mind control, harm to children and animals, and death. Oops, All Witches is a Dancing Stickman production. Ashlyn Sparrow as Nia Annette Lee as Ofelia Oleander Mack as Emmett Sara Brink as the Dungeon Master This episode was produced, edited, and sound designed by Sara Brink. Our album and poster art was illustrated by Oleander Mack. Character art designed by Nalakwsis. This Dungeons & Dragons actual play is a playtest of the Witch class created by Mazey Veselak and Brandes Stoddard for Worlds Beyond Number. Check out the Worlds Beyond Number Patreon and listen to The Wizard, The Witch, and The Wild One wherever you get your podcasts. Grab a downloadable episode transcript here. www.oopsallwitches.com

The storm is here, darkness descends, and something lurks deep within the cave. Put on a brave face. Where once we met as friends, now things have changed. The search for answers leads only to corruption and chaos. This episode concludes Arc 2 of Oops, All Witches. Content warning: This series contains potentially upsetting themes, including mind control, harm to children and animals, and death. Oops, All Witches is a Dancing Stickman production. Ashlyn Sparrow as Nia Annette Lee as Ofelia Oleander Mack as Emmett Sara Brink as the Dungeon Master This episode was produced, edited, and sound designed by Sara Brink. Our album and poster art was illustrated by Oleander Mack. Character art designed by Nalakwsis. This Dungeons & Dragons actual play is a playtest of the Witch class created by Mazey Veselak and Brandes Stoddard for Worlds Beyond Number. Check out the Worlds Beyond Number Patreon and listen to The Wizard, The Witch, and The Wild One wherever you get your podcasts. Grab a downloadable episode transcript here. www.oopsallwitches.com

When traversing the wild, one must mind one's footing and manners. Change, when wielded as a weapon, transmutes to corruption at the will of the wielder. At the tip of the claw, questions and revelations await. Content warning: This series contains potentially upsetting themes, including mind control, harm to children and animals, and death. Oops, All Witches is a Dancing Stickman production. Ashlyn Sparrow as Nia Annette Lee as Ofelia Oleander Mack as Emmett Sara Brink as the Dungeon Master This episode was produced, edited, and sound designed by Sara Brink. Our album and poster art was illustrated by Oleander Mack. Character art designed by Nalakwsis. This Dungeons & Dragons actual play is a playtest of the Witch class created by Mazey Veselak and Brandes Stoddard for Worlds Beyond Number. Check out the Worlds Beyond Number Patreon and listen to The Wizard, The Witch, and The Wild One wherever you get your podcasts. Grab a downloadable episode transcript here. www.oopsallwitches.com

The day concludes, a moment to breathe in the open air. Join us by the fire for a conclave in the forest, all interested parties are formally invited: witches, wolves, and woods. We gather for an exchange of conversation, information, tokens of appreciation. Content warning: This series contains potentially upsetting themes, including mind control, harm to children and animals, and death. Oops, All Witches is a Dancing Stickman production. Ashlyn Sparrow as Nia Annette Lee as Ofelia Oleander Mack as Emmett Sara Brink as the Dungeon Master This episode was produced, edited, and sound designed by Sara Brink. Our album and poster art was illustrated by Oleander Mack. Character art designed by Nalakwsis. This Dungeons & Dragons actual play is a playtest of the Witch class created by Mazey Veselak and Brandes Stoddard for Worlds Beyond Number. Check out the Worlds Beyond Number Patreon and listen to The Wizard, The Witch, and The Wild One wherever you get your podcasts. Grab a downloadable episode transcript here. www.oopsallwitches.com

Everything changes. Flight for Ofelia, goodies for Emmett, attention for Nia. The All-Seeing Eye of Taios has turned its gaze and the witches conclude their time in Tuvold. More change awaits at the Tideborne Shrine, but in what state?  This episode concludes Arc 1 of Oops, All Witches. Content warning: This series contains potentially upsetting themes, including mind control, harm to children and animals, and death. Oops, All Witches is a Dancing Stickman production. Ashlyn Sparrow as Nia Annette Lee as Ofelia Oleander Mack as Emmett Sara Brink as the Dungeon Master This episode was produced, edited, and sound designed by Sara Brink. Our album and poster art was illustrated by Oleander Mack. Character art designed by Nalakwsis. This Dungeons & Dragons actual play is a playtest of the Witch class created by Mazey Veselak and Brandes Stoddard for Worlds Beyond Number. Check out the Worlds Beyond Number Patreon and listen to The Wizard, The Witch, and The Wild One wherever you get your podcasts. Grab a downloadable episode transcript here. www.oopsallwitches.com Creative commons license for hulusi music: Street_Hulusi.flac by Zabuhailo -- https://freesound.org/s/194841/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Questions, questions. Won't someone think of the children? Who's in charge around here? Seems like something's in the air, or maybe in the water, or maybe in the backs of our necks. Everyone needs to calm down - the Order of Taios has everything under control. Content warning: This series contains potentially upsetting themes, including mind control, harm to children and animals, and death. Oops, All Witches is a Dancing Stickman production. Ashlyn Sparrow as Nia Annette Lee as Ofelia Oleander Mack as Emmett Sara Brink as the Dungeon Master This episode was produced and edited by Sara Brink. Sound design by Timoteo Flynn Valadez. Our album and poster art was illustrated by Oleander Mack. Character art designed by Nalakwsis. This Dungeons & Dragons actual play is a playtest of the Witch class created by Mazey Veselak and Brandes Stoddard for Worlds Beyond Number. Check out the Worlds Beyond Number Patreon and listen to The Wizard, The Witch, and The Wild One wherever you get your podcasts. Grab a downloadable episode transcript here. www.oopsallwitches.com

No one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land. Nia floats on, Ofelia gets to business, Emmett sees opportunity. Just be careful in the shadow of the Church. Eyes everywhere, teeth bared, claws out, hearts rent. Who looks to the wayward and the lost? Content warning: This series contains potentially upsetting themes, including mind control, harm to children and animals, and death. Oops, All Witches is a Dancing Stickman production. Ashlyn Sparrow as Nia Annette Lee as Ofelia Oleander Mack as Emmett Sara Brink as the Dungeon Master This episode was produced and edited by Sara Brink. Sound design by Timoteo Flynn Valadez. Our album and poster art was illustrated by Oleander Mack. Character art designed by Nalakwsis. This Dungeons & Dragons actual play is a playtest of the Witch class created by Mazey Veselak and Brandes Stoddard for Worlds Beyond Number. Check out the Worlds Beyond Number Patreon and listen to The Wizard, The Witch, and The Wild One wherever you get your podcasts. Grab a downloadable episode transcript here. www.oopsallwitches.com

There's no rest for the Wicked. Nor for the Heart, the Claw, or the Green. If past is prologue, then we're all being pulled into the Void, monsters and maidens alike. Don't resist, don't worry. It's just a dream we're sharing. Journey aross the river with us, but beware what's coming downstream. Content warning: This series contains potentially upsetting themes, including mind control, harm to children and animals, and death. Oops, All Witches is a Dancing Stickman production. Ashlyn Sparrow as Nia Annette Lee as Ofelia Oleander Mack as Emmett Sara Brink as the Dungeon Master This episode was produced and edited by Sara Brink. Sound design by Timoteo Flynn Valadez. Our album and poster art was illustrated by Oleander Mack. Character art designed by Nalakwsis. This Dungeons & Dragons actual play is a playtest of the Witch class created by Mazey Veselak and Brandes Stoddard for Worlds Beyond Number. Check out the Worlds Beyond Number Patreon and listen to The Wizard, The Witch, and The Wild One wherever you get your podcasts. Grab a downloadable episode transcript here. www.oopsallwitches.com

A D&D actual play campaign, playtesting the Witch Class created for Worlds Beyond Number. Coming March 10 from Dancing Stickman.