Story Lines

Discussion starts: ???This one had a strange energy to it, I can't lie to you. I hope you enjoyed it. Like, like, like, like or subscribe.

Check below the description and sources for a list of media mentioned and spoiled!It's almost finals week. I don't have the energy for this. It's another episode of Story Lines, you get it.Also, Raf messed up, and Spotify DOES distinguish between non-binary and unspecified gender listeners. Make sure to clown him in the comments for this egregious sin.Simon says share the podcast. And Daly. Don't listen to Simon. He'll get ya.Sources mentioned:https://youtu.be/Yt2U2ykg-Hk?si=4ZR_PqfOjc9G8gRq ["Detail Diatribe: 200-ish Years of Mummy Stories" by Overly Sarcastic Productions on YouTube from Nov. 8, 2024]Media lightly spoiled (we didn't actually end up spoiling much in this ep, but just in case you really wanna avoid anything plot related to these stories):The Legend of KorraAvatar: The Last AirbenderStar Wars: The Last JediDimension 20: A Crown of CandyDimension 20: The Ravening WarRomeo and JulietDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of MadnessAgatha All AlongMedia Mentioned:The Star Wars Movie TrilogiesThe Hunger GamesGame of Thrones (Raf kept calling it "A Game of Thrones," but he meant the TV series not the book)The House of the DragonTeen Titans (2003)Teen Titans Go!Beauty and the Beast (2017)A Jewel of Seven Stars by Bram Stoker

We talk about the big bad boogeyman of politics, Hasan Piker—scary stuff. We have some fun, and I do some great impressions. Like, like, or like the pod. No options for you this time.

Is podcasting only for old people now? Probably...Like, follow, share on the town bulletin board, and telepathically will your friends to listen to the pod!

Raf has the flu, so we clearly did not succeed in making Story Lines healthy again...But it also means I don't have to cite my sources (but Raf still does)! When the cat's away, amiright?Like, follow, subscribe, download, share, repost, hashtag, illegally pirate and redistribute. Live your best life, king.Sources mentioned:https://youtu.be/N2lh-r7poLo?si=rYPQPXBEHR4YlujJ [“Right-Wing Wellness Influencers Want You to Die” by Alexander Avila on YouTube from Sep. 19, 2025]https://www.wired.com/story/i-took-rfk-jrs-advice-and-ate-nothing-but-high-protein-foods-for-a-week/ [“I took RFK Jr’s Advice and Ate Nothing but High-Protein Foods for a Week” by Miles Klee on WIRED from Apr. 2, 2026]https://youtu.be/SCkP9VVxKSE?si=GWJOv3PlBMyUlwkS [“The internet made me obsessed with protein” by Drew Gooden on YouTube from Jul. 18, 2025]https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/fact-sheet-historic-reset-federal-nutrition-policy.html [“Fact Sheet: Trump Administration Resets U.S. Nutrition Policy, Puts Real Food Back at the Center of Health” by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services last reviewed on Jan. 7, 2026]https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/White-House-National-Strategy-on-Hunger-Nutrition-and-Health-FINAL.pdf [“Biden-Harris Administration National Strategy On Hunger, Nutrition, And Health” by the White House on the Biden White House Archives from Sep. 2022]

Raf didn't review One Piece like he promised, and he did a voice for the whole episode. My revenge shall be swift and just. Likemaxx, Comment-mog, or Subscribe-goon!Sources mentioned:https://youtu.be/wJgV-usri0I?si=d49daa1X2c0eDUHk [“The Terrifying World of LooksMaxxing” by JimmyTheGiant on YouTube from Jan. 12, 2026]https://news.northeastern.edu/2026/03/04/looksmaxxing-tiktok-trend-explained/ [“‘Looksmaxxing’ seems to be taking over TikTok. Here’s what experts have to say about it.” by Tanner Stening for Northeastern Global News from Mar. 4, 2026] (Mentions the quantified self)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/-maxxing [“-maxxing” on Wikipedia] https://www.dazeddigital.com/beauty/article/65341/1/the-year-of-maxxing-how-self-optimisation-obsession-came-to-a-peak-in-2024 [“The year of maxxing: Has our obsession with self-optimization hit its peak?” by Laura Pitcher on Dazed from Dec. 11, 2024]https://youtube.com/shorts/HrLRwh0LXDU?si=mFfFkmNeJCTlBaO5 [“‘Slop’ ‘analysis’” by etymology_nerd on YouTube Shorts from Mar. 25, 2026] (AI Love Island and camp)

Someone has to comment or else we'll never find the One Piece. Like, comment, subscribe, and follow your dreams.Sources mentioned:https://web.mit.edu/curhan/www/docs/Articles/15341_Readings/Motivation/Aronson_Mills_1959_The_effect_of_severity_of_initiation.pdf [" The Effect of Severity of Initiation on Liking for a Group" by Elliot Aronson and Judson Mills from June 9, 1958]https://youtu.be/-VQ3e7YbFmw?si=Cc3LKBOiXZzCwhvU ["The Politics of One Piece" by Mother's Basement on YouTube from Oct. 25, 2025]https://youtu.be/NhU0FkLnz_U?si=jSzYBKTZHSlKZazt ["'Keep Politics Out Of Anime'" by Bonsai Pop on YouTube from Oct. 25, 2025]

Raf did a great job on this one. And that's not just my white guilt showing. Like, follow, and subscribe to become the main character.Sources mentioned:https://youtu.be/Ouv5CJ7Ig7c?si=gxDM5DWJeGiB7Jk_ ["Trope Talk: Writing What You Know" by Overly Sarcastic Productions on YouTube from Sept. 27, 2016]

Well, we finally did it, folks. And by "it," I mean the Oscars. No fact-checks this week, largely because I went so far off the rails that Raf didn't even bother. Comment below any traps you'd like me to set for my co-host next week on Story Lines!Sources mentioned:https://youtu.be/vkDRSgo6tdo?si=D6d94Ko_j3h3_Rzx ["How To Write Intelligent Horror - Sinners" by The Closer Look on YouTube from Jul. 11, 2025]https://www.reddit.com/r/television/comments/1j2zq9y/2025_oscars_score_18_million_viewers_down_7_from/ [Reply on thread "2025 Oscars Score 18 Million Viewers, Down 7% From Last Year" by Sorry_Sorry_Im_Sorry on Reddit from about 1 year ago] (Their source seems to be the following Statista report, but you need an account to access it: https://www.statista.com/statistics/253743/academy-awards-number-of-viewers/)

Does it seem like I wrote this with AI if I use an em-dash?!No fact checks this episode, so Raf must be letting me off the hook—or we just properly cited our sources. Who knows which?Like, follow, subscribe, and engage in all of the other things available to you as a media consumer!Sources mentioned:https://www.npr.org/2025/09/05/nx-s1-5529404/anthropic-settlement-authors-copyright-ai ["Anthropic settles with authors in first-of-its-kind AI copyright infringement lawsuit" by Chloe Veltman on NPR from Sept. 5, 2025] https://www.grammarly.com/blog/ai/how-do-ai-detectors-work/ ["How Do AI Detectors Work? Key Methods, Accuracy, and Limitations" by Grammarly last updated Feb. 11, 2026]https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/12/eliminating-state-law-obstruction-of-national-artificial-intelligence-policy/ ["ENSURING A NATIONAL POLICY FRAMEWORK FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE" by the White House from Dec. 11, 2025] (This is the executive order)https://youtu.be/Fzhkwyoe5vI?si=7jVi48a-YMIvxGyk ["Don't Hex the Water" bu exurb1a on YouTube from Aug. 27, 2022]

Raf made me promise that I would fact-check us and say that Fifty Shades of Grey did NOT outsell the Bible. My bad. Also, apologies for the audio not being in stereo. Premiere wants to destroy my soul, and we've got tight deadlines here on the Story Line. Like, follow, subscribe, etc.!

This week, Raf and Daly launch straight into the podcast with introductions, bits about Daly's heart of gold, and an in-depth discussion on the ethics of news consumption. Sources mentioned:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClhyXtoneOc&pp=ygURYXR0ZW50aW9uIGVjb25vbXk%3D [“You didn’t lose your attention span. It was stolen.” by Jared Henderson from Nov. 17, 2025]Follow/subscribe/like/engage with the podcast in some way to stay up-to-date on all things Story Lines.