WWW Interlude #3: Matsuri
A few times a year, on auspicious days or particularly augur-laden nights, the rickety fence between Umora and the world of spirits falls away. Tonight, is just such a night. And what shall cross that diaphanous veil between worlds? A chicken, a pretty lady, a cabinet of masks, a demon named 'Amanda' and three young heroes left to their own autumnal (okay fine, VERY late summer), festive devices in this slice-of-life return to our Children's Adventure. Boo.
Starring Lou Wilson, Aabria Iyengar, and your DM: Erika Ishii!
Produced by Taylor Moore
Edited, Designed, and Music Supervision by Brian Flaherty of Many Sided Media. For more of his award-winning sound design, check out My First Dungeon and Bitcherton wherever you get your podcasts.
Music courtesy of Epidemic with some original music by Taylor Moore
Comments (197)
Deeply glad that this interlude exists already, having just finished The Clearing 😭
It’s been awhile since I listened to this story but it always brings a smile to my face. Thank you for a beautiful message and the magical music 🔥🤗❤️🦊
The amount of times my kiddo and I have listened to this is crazy 😂 We love this story! Little one in stitches, especially over Suvi/Wren’s “I GOTa FISH!!” I almost wish the app counted how many times an episode was listened to
Someone at the WBN team could track every road trip I take with my kid, because they always request this episode 😂🤩
Welp, you got me. I cried. More than once. Wasn't even sure WHY at one point, I guess I just needed to. It was all good crying though. Very cleansing. And as has already been said, this was spot on kid behavior. XD
‘I’m a beautiful woman and I’ve been here’ 🤣🥹
nooooooo, Erika whyyy, that’s too sad. :’(
This is MONTHS late, but I just got the Patreon and am catching up. I need to have it on record that this show hadn’t made me cry this much until this episode. What beautiful narration by Erika. Really took me back to my days as a kid, in the summer, and yes, even wondering about the afterlife.
I'm slowly but surely getting caught up and I ended up listening to this on the day we interred my grandma which also happened to be Dia de los Muertos. Weird how the universe works sometimes! I found this to be a lovely, delightful, and heartwarming balm for the soul. Thank you, all, for sharing your wonderful gifts of storytelling with us and thank you, Erika, for DMing such a beautiful tale. 💕 You all are the best 💖
I'm late to comment but Erika absolutely nailed it.
Nothing can convince me that Ame doesn't have a crush on Suvi after this
I am devastated that no-one was verbally acknowledged as eating a surprisingly hearty miso soup that they had to finish off with a scoopy finger in a cup. Truly, a Toma culinary custom
If we return to Umora and there aren't a bunch of sandy-haired carny brothers running around.... Also, afterlife and human souls confirmed? My idea for a witch's station is lore-compatible baybeeeeee!
Damn you Erika I'm crying at work rn
Twelve Brooks & Matsuri supremacy 😭 I love the gentle softness of these sweet interludes they mean the world to me
Pour one out for Kish, he was a real one.
I love this SO MUCH that I like… need it in physical form. Like i need it on a CD or smthn I need to HOLD IT
Oh, this was so beautiful!! I got tearful when Kish left 🥹
I got such a big smile when I heard that first word! Happy to bring it full circle!
AABRIA HOW DARE YOU sharing the fish 😭😭😭😭 y'all make my day every time
Just weeeeeeeping. So beautiful.
this interlude was like the beautiful and sweet aftercare to The Clearing's heaviness, which i listened to yesterday XD loved both of them, ty guys <3
After the dark tone of Arc 3 and Interlude 2 (both of which I love) this is such a bright, wholesome snippet from the childrens summer together, thank you. That said, I'm about to start Act 4 and am bracing for an absolute suckerpunch to the heart 💀
Is that a Souran Bushi reference??
This is so good and makes the start of this new arc so much more sad 😭
THIS IS SO GOOD. ERIKA IS A NATURAL!!!
😭😭😭
This interlude was so great!! I really love seeing baby Suvi being so free and fun, baby Eursalon is flawless (Lou nails it), and lil baby Ame reminds me of myself as a kid 💕 If I could suggest... Please include misophonia warnings in the future. The eating sounds are really clear around 1:05:00 😭
I listened to this while making pumpkin waffles and WOW what a good decision. Such a lovely story! 👏🏾💜
I do not have children, I just recall being one. Days exploring with night vision, Days playing in the sun. I did not loose anyone At that funny tender age. I was schoold be finer folks, From respected yobbos to a sage. I listened to this story, I had to take some breaks. If halloween isn't gory, Then why am I left with what caring takes: Tears. A.G.
This is EXACTLY the energy booster I needed to listen to on my way into day 7/7 of work. Thank you!!!!
Hats off Erika! Amazing job 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
A lot different than the last interlude haha
Such a sweet story!
Ame was inside ren and named by taro
Truly amazing, i cried when kish left, such a beautiful story
I totally didn't cry then either, and I'm not crying now... honest. A.G.
🥹
I know this is a fun one-shot, but it did strike me how far back Ame and Eursulon's habit of not communicating spirit shenanigans to Suvi goes. As children that makes sense, they have a fundamental understanding of the world that is sooo different from Suvi's and it takes kids a while to catch that. But as adults there is a startling lack of them explaining anything to her, so it's no wonder she is a wee bit caustic about it? I wonder if there is some OOC knowledge blurring, simply because Aabria has had to point out more than once that Suvi wasn't looped in (EG: Casov collection, the importance of getting to Toma, the chalices on the man in black's vest, etc) where Erika and Lou have either forgotten or perhaps just didn't want to interrupt the flow. It is lowkey heartbreaking to see this little girl realize what she's missed out on after hours of panic, only to do the *exact* right thing to honor the spirit when she is finally aware. Ugh! Such fantastic characterization, it speaks volumes to how integral the spirit is to both Eursulon and Ame that they (for their own reasons) are involved enough to miss that they have to explain everything to their friend.
Didn't know how much I missed lil Eursalon 🥹
That spirit kid was also an aspect of The Man In Black.
beautiful told, well done erika on dming, yall are such incredible storytellers, thank you all at wbn for bringing this world to life 🖤
And Epidemic sounds!! thank you!!
Brian!!!! the sound!!! Taylor the music!!!! ERIKA THE DMING AND LEADING THE JOY AHH! its such a delight, im very happy to be by the fireside :)
Woof the chewing almost killed me 💀 otherwise ASTOUNDINGGGG perfect lovely whimsical
Has anyone had a problem loading this after 1:12:20? I’ve been trying to since it came out almost and it just keeps stopping there
I listened on the PocketCasts app, and had no issues. Sorry that you had trouble
That was truly a beautiful tale. honestly you guys just draw me in every single time and I always want more, if you were a book I'd lose sleep reading you xxx
When Suvi started saying what the Citadel tradition is for the dead 😭😭😭 - ‘may those who miss you, miss you less’ (I think was the quote I started crying to)
This was so sweet and beautiful! 🥹
Beautiful
Aabria fully made me cry(not the first time) this was so so nice, thank you all so much
What a delight!
This was beautiful. I LOVE THESE DAMN KIDS
return of Kishiro in the main campaign or i riot
what’s the song at 1:21:40, I swear I’ve heard it somewhere
Ballerina by Yehezkel Raz (probably)
ERIKA KILLED IT! Absolutely gorgeous little story
Also LOVE that we got a little fireside chat of our own with Taylor at the end there!! Wish we got more of him
Literally can’t go ONE episode of the kids adventure without sobbing
and you’re so valid for that ‼️ (same btw i love 2 suffer)
Guys I missed who/what/when/where/why/how "bonecone" became something we say? Please help
A bit from the very beginning when they were announcing the Patreon and the benefits of joining. "Bonus content" became "bone cone," for no reason whatsoever.
Cast, and sound design, Y’all have a way of transporting me like nothing else can. The content you make is truly my favorite joy. ❤️
Loved this so much. 🥰
Congrats, Erika, at DMing your first 5e game!!! You rocked it, I'm hoping for many more, what a beautiful experiene :) Thank you so much!
This is the cozy I am needing! I have listened to it 4x already.
I wondered if rule-following Suvi would be upset by Eursulon doing the dance wrong. I love her compromise.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! Great job Erika! WBN is my favorite thing to cry to. <3
Lovely!
way to make me cry...you guys constantly kill this. I'll never read a better book.
Well that was beautiful ❤️
Delightful!
*sigh* this was so good.
Well fuck you too Erika 😭
Akajskajs Erica joining the single word starter gang
Felt incredibly fortunate to listen to this while driving through Vermont in early autumn. Talk about emersion!
Natsumatsuri!
1:06:25 is this the first mention of dragons in the umora setting? or have i not been paying close attention?
obsessed with the background chatter just being multiple layers of brennan doing bit voices
I didn’t even notice that 😭
I love Umora so much. I love the main campaign. I love the children's adventures. I just... IT'S SO GOOD
Where should I drop fan art, friends?
I've seen stuff on the discord, or Instagram, or Twitter, or tumblr! Sadly patreon won't let you share images in the chat Wherever you post, you should put the link here so we can admire it!
extremely excited by what looks like the prospect of future Children's Adventures DM'd by Aabria or Lou in future interludes
that would be amazing!! I hope we’ll get to those in interludes of future books.
Not me considering my mortality lol
the plucked string part that plays while lou describes eursulon's glamor has my entire heart
why did suvi's last words in this ep and the last two pieces in the soundtrack leave me weeping? the power of music and storytelling... ✨✨
What a beautiful story! Perfect for the season. Our loved ones are always with us, even if we can’t seem them. And sometimes, ones we don’t know will sometimes walk with us.
Commenting before starting this ep because I really hope this one is a little less soul-crushing than the previous one.
Erika did such an incredible job DMing!! I really love listening to their summer as kids. I would love if we got more stories from that time even if it got to the point where we were like "wait a minute, just how long is this summer?"
WIND!!!!
You just made me cry. Ugly happy cry. Good stories about good people need to be in this world.
The fact that both times Suvi speaks directly to the dead she says “I hope you’re okay” is so telling and beautiful. Knowing her need to understand how everything works and what’s supposed to happen, and knowing she will never know what death will bring until she meets it herself, all she can do is hope everyone she misses is somehow okay now. y’all make me cry too much I swear
You guys. I was finishing listening in my lunch break. I have a zoom call in 5 minutes and have full panda eyes 😭
Aabria my heart 🥹🥹🥹
“I am a chicken, beautiful and victorious”
God seeing Suvi’s little justification machine moment even during the time of the children’s adventure is so heartbreaking.
I was now years old when I realised why I thought this was a bit of a plot hole from "Hold on Tight," where Ame says she never got to go to the summer festival with her friends... this was a memory she was cursed to forget.
Hi, please take back the Onion Ninjas you sent to my house, thank you <3
What a beautiful story 🥹 Erika, you're such a brilliant GM/DM. Kish was such a sweet boo 💜
Why am I forreal crying at Suvi saying goodbye to Kish 😭😭😭
I am deeply sobbing. Thank you for being a good friend
This interlude was so friggin' cute!!! ❤️😭 So utterly magical!!
Spoilers... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... He wanted to play an adult because he never got to be one?
Spoilers… Did the pinwheel guy kill Kish in a rage because he won the prize???
Eursulon making the pinwheel spin with HiS BREATH??? Yes, that’s how they work. No, I’m not ok
Matsuri & Twelve Brooks: 🥰✨🥹☀️🫶🏻🌈 The Clearing: 💀🐕🍄👻🫨
Love this side quest, gang. Super cute, but I love any revisit to the children 🖤
This was a beautiful adorable little side quest for the children.
Where was the Renn Fair cover of Tanko Bushi?! 😂
Suvi's become a woman now 🥹
As a 4th Japanese American kid I am SQUEALING with glee at the thought of an Umora-equivalent to Obon!!!!!!!!!!! I’m only 5 min in and already my heart is so nourished!!
I’m making vegetables with stick legs
*tearfully* You had me at "snackums."
This was wonderful 😊
So dang cute! Also, great job GMing Erika!
🥹🥹😭
You all are such wonderful storytellers, and here you did it again. I'm sobbing in my kitchen, I've had a weird, bad day and this is healing my heart. Thank you, so much ❤️
This was just so very satisfying. Truly beautiful job by all involved. Thank you for this lovely interlude. 💜💜💜💜💜
Episode making me wonder when exactly soft and stone died. Was suvi at the memorial after they died?? Were they watching over her there??? 😢
Also it would be the coolest and most heart wrenching series if we ever got the crew to play what happened on that mission
“I like it here because I’m with you.” I’m dying baby Suvi is tooooo sweet
AABRIA I'M AT WORK!!!! SOBBING AT MY DESK! HOW VERY DARE!!! Excellent 'sode, everyone.
I saw the twist a mile away, and I love it every time. This kind of story always gets me in the feels 🥹
TIL that Umora has a decorative gourd season... and it's somehow late Summer? Hey, seasons work differently in different places, suspension of disbelief ACTIVATED
If this was the summer festival Ame missed going to the night Mirara showed up, her vibes were right! At least for baby Ame's understanding before meeting Kish.
Congratulations on the amazing Dming, Erika!!! And Lou and Aabria, all three of you did a wonderful job slipping into your characters’ younger selves. The ending was so heartwarming, this was a good calming episode before the storm that will be Arc 4.
I'm not 15 minutes into this episode and it's DELIGHTFUL. Erika is wonderful as a GM!
I did not expect to cry at work with this super cute and fun story but you GOT ME at the end!
That was so lovely *sniffle* I saw where it was going and it still made me cry.
I love them all so much. 😭😭😭
Oof Suvi at the shrine got me more emotional than expected this morning.
I was listening and playing Stardew Valley (I’m fittingly in the Autumn season of the game) and I have to say the music in the interlude really matched perfectly! ✨🍂
Listen, this is so wholesome I'm gonna cry. Thanks for making a rainy day feel a little extra cozy!
WIND
Yus this wil be teh best for the sneaky it in rogue. Timing is when they go to auro and youcan see that its teh part of ark lol;lol. def time to touch funny style!
I swear this series is soul-healing.
This piece, anyway, as opposed to The Clearing.
I started this in the wee hours when I could not sleep. Bad news: I didn't finish it. Good news: I did fall asleep while listening and now I get to listen again :)
This is so lovely. The music at one point reminds me of the tones of Rugrats theme music. Vendor: catch this fish with a net Suvi: apple bobbing? fish bobbing? same diff Also, WILD tonal shift between last interlude and this one haha.
This is fantastic
Erika did such an amazing job dming!!! I hope they run more bonecone games in the future!!!
Really cute story! I'll always be happy to revisit that time in the story... On a technical note - I'm noticing heavy artifacts on the music. Anyone else?
Not hearing anything weird on my end. Timestamp?
"Whose faces are these, Ame?" 13/10
I'm not sure if it was intentional or not, but I love that Erika's interlude -- which is the most explicitly Japanese-coded we have yet seen the culture of Toma -- also perfectly embodies the dramatic structure of kishōtenketsu.
This is a great palate cleanser after The Clearing
this was absolutely Darling. Erika the GM that you are!
Can’t wait to listen to this while sipping tea from my new candle street bakery mug!
needed this today, yipeeee
What a lovely little piece of happiness this is
the idea that eursolon can only conceive of names of people he already knows and loves 😭 sweet baby boy
What a delicious bit of joy to bring us into October. Amazing sound design Brian!
Thanks so much!
Anyone else get punched in the feels by Eursulon and the koi fish as compared to Naram and baby Eursulon
Oh I loved this!
Suvi used all her good rolls as a child, and now Aabria is stuck with adult Suvi's horrid luck (or her dice just hate imperialists, idk 🤷🏻)
Erika starting with "Wind" ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Great fucking job
We are all listening to this together as best friends, right? I’ll bring popcorn and brownies 🩵
I'll bring blankets for optimal comfort! 💛
Goodbye, sleep! Hello, happiness!!
perfect thing to begin October with, can't wait to listen
IMMEDIATELY wheezing, I'm so glad that the Brennan intro turned into such a meme, will it truly never end
That SENT me! Erika would never waste an opportunity to carry on the bit 😂
Erika DM WOOOOO!!! also no Brennan?
I thought he'd play a character since he wasn't GM. The role of Kish could have gone to Brennan. Someone else pointed out that Brennan is doing all the background voices (I did not pick up on that), so it might have been more fitting to have him do the adults? It was however lovely just as it was.
Fuck yes. I could not sleep and have tomorrow off. A perfect thing for late night listening. Grwat job Erika!!!
Whimpering with joyyyyy
The precious babies are baaaack! 🥹 it makes a lot of sense that Grandma Ren and Brennan are missing from his episode. Really gives the feel of 3 little kids left in charge of the house.
Oh hooray!
I love that the “Grandmother Wren is absent” intro is a meta-parallel to Brennan being absent. The amount of shenanigans our beloved Umora trio will get up while Wren is away is nothing compared to what Erika, Aabria, and Lou are capable of when Brennan is away 😂
I love that if we eventually get enough bonecone of the children’s adventure, then we could have a Phineas and Ferb length summer.
At the start of the episode, beyond excited ☺️❤️
Needed this today!! Absolutely delightful
Anyone else feel like that intro was addressing us? ‘You’ do xyz
there better be some goddamn flutes in this taylor
Or what?
Oh my god I missed the baby trio so much this is adorable
Wind!
This one better be cute you monsters
Dear Taylor, I walked past the college marching band brass section practicing with the snare drums, and the Citadel vibes were VIBING!
Bedtime has been postponed it is time for Bonecone
Aw, but it’s my bedtime! I have to wait until tomorrow!
Debating if I have time to listen before bed 🤔
YES!!! I’ve missed the children’s adventures so much.
holy bone cone 😳
AAAAAAAH
What a lovely surprise this evening!
👁👄👁
OH SHIT OH SHIT
WIND???
Ahhhhhhh
Thanks for the early release!
Holy fuck I'm first