Crow and Fern's Guide to Weird Fiction, Folklore, Mythology, and Everything in Between

Welcome back, children! Yes, it’s been 3 weeks, and yes it was Crow’s fault, but we’re back, and this week we bring you: Philosophy, neuroscience, and androids! No, not the phones. The humanoid robots that would have been the best human companions if they’d just stop gaining consciousness. HAL 9000, David8, Ava, to name a few. If there’s one thing Sci Fi loves to do, it’s to freak us out. And it often does this by asking the question: what if man-made creatures gained sentience? But what exactly is ‘sentience’? What defines being human? Do we really understand what makes us us enough to pass judgment on creatures we deem unworthy of our respect? In the first of many episodes to come on Androids, Crow discusses the philosophical and neuroscientific aspects of consciousness and how it was examined in, arguably, one of the most popular modern day movies examining human androids: Ex Machina. Intro music: Beeckmans: Hymne for Theremin, Oboe, String Quartet and Piano (2018) - The Alba Septet (Listen to the whole thing on youtube, you'll thank us later). Outro music: Magic Hour by Three Chain Links Social Media Accounts: Instagram: crowandfernsguide TikTok: crow_and_ferns_guide Twitter: @Crow_and_fern Tumblr: CrowandFern Email: [email protected] References: Consciousness explained or described? https://academic.oup.com/nc/article/2022/1/niac001/6523097?searchresult=1#377634645 Scientific American: What Is Consciousness? https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-consciousness/ EX MACHINA (2014) EXPLAINED: THE EMPATHY QUESTION https://www.thehaughtyculturist.com/films/ex-machina-2014-themes-analysis-explained A New Explanation for Consciousness https://neurosciencenews.com/consciousness-theory-21571/ Twilight Sleep https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight_sleep#:~:text=Twilight%20sleep%20(English%20translation%20of,of%20pain%20management%20during%20childbirth.

I (Fern) am really excited to share an absolute favorite of mine, the tale of Kiviuq from Inuit mythology. This fascinating story shares the tale of a man lost at sea, trying to find his way home in the unforgivingly harsh Arctic climate. He faces strange and magical dangers as he passes through a dreamlike world, all the while doing his best not to starve or freeze to death. Michael Kusugak's Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIL2lD8Wbgc Social Media Accounts: Instagram: crowandfernsguide TikTok: crow_and_ferns_guide Twitter: @Crow_and_fern Tumblr: CrowandFern Email: [email protected] Intro music: Beeckmans: Hymne for Theremin, Oboe, String Quartet and Piano (2018) - The Alba Septet (Listen to the whole thing on youtube, you'll thank us later). Outro music: Magic Hour by Three Chain Links

Skip to 6:10 to jump right into the episode. Have you ever wondered what lay behind the chipper eyes of everyone’s favorite deep sea pineapple inhabitant? Why children make an appearance as harbingers of terror in so many horror movies? What makes someone take a look at a cat obsessed with lasagna and think ‘This cat is an eldritch god intent on the destruction of humanity’? Why are we so turned off by sluggish cartoons like Teletubbies and Moon and Me? What makes clowns and rabbits and dolls so scary when we grow up? What makes clowns Welcome BACK, children, to another crow episode. This episode is full of experimental psychology theories and also a few of our own. We’re going to be looking into r/imsorryjon and the weird world of horror set in…children’s T.V shows? This isn’t your average nostalgic horror. This is the dark side of Spongebob that creepypastas insist exists. This is the terrifying ‘what ifs’ that explore corrupted innocence. And when works that explore lost innocence like Hereditary and Skinamarink do exist, you’ve got to wonder…why pick at 1990’s comics and cartoons meant to entertain children? What do we see as adults that we were so blind to as 8 year olds? Well, you’ll just have to listen to find out… Intro music: Beeckmans: Hymne for Theremin, Oboe, String Quartet and Piano (2018) - The Alba Septet (Listen to the whole thing on youtube, you'll thank us later). Outro music: Magic Hour by Three Chain Links Social Media Accounts: Instagram: crowandfernsguide TikTok: crow_and_ferns_guide Twitter: @Crow_and_fern Tumblr: CrowandFern Email: [email protected] References: Vsauce: Why are Things Creepy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEikGKDVsCc What’s so fascinating about weird children’s TV shows? By Linda Geddes. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20191206-why-children-find-weird-television-so-mesmerising Science Daily: Children and adults see the world differently, research finds https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100913153630.htm On The Nature of Creepiness https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0732118X16300320 The Uncanny Valley: A Possible Explanation for Creepiness https://medium.com/@lutian_71494/the-uncanny-valley-a-possible-explanation-for-creepiness-5ce7361d777e Children’s perception of uncanny human-like virtual characters https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0747563214002015

Today I fulfill my promise to Crow to "put her through hell" as we discuss one of her favorite phobias-- rabbits and hares. We'll talk about the folklore throughout the ages and across the world. Are rabbits kind and helpful, devious tricksters, or downright dangerous beings who will use their innocent appearance to put us at ease right before they destroy us? Topics today include the Hare in the Moon, Br'er Rabbit/Compère Lapin, Rabbits in witchcraft, Milk hares, the Bunny Man Killer, and yes, the one and only Easter Bunny and the history behind it. Come see if I succeed in scaring Crow with stories of hares and rabbits from folklore and mythology! Reference Links: Eostre Archeology Paper (Cute bunny broaches pg 221): https://www.researchgate.net/publication/346357286_The_Shifting_Baselines_of_the_British_Hare_Goddess Bunny Man Creepy Pasta (Forbes): https://www.castleofspirits.com/the-classics/the-clifton-bunny-man Brian A Conley's Paper on the Bunny Man: https://research.fairfaxcounty.gov/local-history/bunnyman Social Media Accounts: Instagram: crowandfernsguide TikTok: crow_and_ferns_guide Twitter: @Crow_and_fern Tumblr: CrowandFern Email: [email protected] Intro music: Beeckmans: Hymne for Theremin, Oboe, String Quartet and Piano (2018) - The Alba Septet (Listen to the whole thing on youtube, you'll thank us later). Outro music: Magic Hour by Three Chain Links