Episodes - Witchever Path

Chosen Part Three: You Better Call Somebody

When you heard us last, Rommel gave an interview to a true crime podcaster about his release from prison, Hector and Hagbard reflected on the night their band, Illusory Redemption started on the road to ruin, and Mira’s Lyft Accessible Driver turned out to be the night watchman who two decades ago terrified her friends into finishing a ritual in exchange for letting them go. Shocked by his appearance, she was unsure what to do. Luckily she had you.

For the transcript, go here.

Our current vote is closed and we are will be here with your new episode in two weeks!

Also, you can now buy our ill-fated band’s t-shirt on TeeSpring.

This episode featured:

Lito Velasco (He/Him) as Hector
Vyn Vox (He/They) as Mira
DJ Sylvis (They/Them) as Hagbard
Mike Gagne (He/Him) as Rommel
Jas LaFond (They/Them) as Angie
JD Lauriat (He/Him) as Peter
Mandy Hall (They/Them) as Tara
Tyler Bell (He/Him) as Tommy

The story was written by Jas and Steven and produced by Steven.
The Witchever Path Theme Song was written and performed by Rydr.
On The Job was written and performed by ZapSplat.

If you love what you’re hearing, share us with your friends. Also, consider becoming a member of our Patreon. For five dollars a month, you can get access to our premium episodes, including stories that you won’t hear anywhere else. We’ve been making these tales since March 2019, every month, so you have quite the backlog. At $10 a month, you get behind the scenes info, history and contextual entries, and other goodies. At 25 a month, we also send you a t-shirt or mug of your choice from our merchandise store!

This week we want to thank Patrick Arseneault, Amanda Adams, and Kate Wallinga for choosing the path.

Chosen, Part Two- Cookies and Cream

Read the transcript here.

Hector tells Angie about the moment it all started to go bad. Mira moves forward, and Rommel agrees to an interview. The latest episode of Witchever Path is here. Listen and then vote below to help chart the course of our journey.

Voting has been closed and we’re working hard on producing the new episode based on your decisions. Thanks again, and we hope you’ll enjoy what comes next.

Lito Velasco (He/Him) as Hector
Vyn Vox (He/They) as Mira
DJ Sylvis (They/Them) as Hagbard
Mike Gagne (He/Him) as Rommel
Jas LaFond (They/Them) as Angie
JD Lauriat (He/Him) as Peter
Melissa Geiser (She/Her) as Kristen
Mandy Hall (They/Them) as Tara
Tyler Bell (He/Him) as Tommy

The story was written by Jas and Steven and produced by Steven.

The Witchever Path Theme Song is written and performed by Rydr

The song, Forsaken, was performed by David Hawkins

The song, Movement, was by David Miles. Find more of his work on ZapSplat.com

Please join us in three weeks to see how you, the audience, effected our story with your decisions.

Chosen, Part 1

Reconnecting with old friends isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be.

Voting has closed! We will be back on February 27 to show you what your decision has led Hector and his former bandmates.

This episode stars:
Lito Velasco as Hector
Mike Gagne as Rommel
DJ Sylvis as Hagbard
Vyn Vox as Mira
Jas LaFond as Angie

This story was written by Jas and Steven and produced by Steven.

The transcript is available right here.

The Music in this episode
Music is a huge part of this story.
Our theme song was written and performed by Rydyr.
The track “Forsaken” was written and composed by David Hawkins with lyrics by Steven.
The song “Latin American Bachata Lunes” was by APA Music. You can find them on pond5.com
The instrumentals in Hagbard’s house were by by Audio Hero on Zapslat.com

But the biggest win for us was “Demons are Back” by Mortiis from the album The Great Deceiver. Mortiis is currently touring in support of their Era 1 album, Spirit of Rebellion in the states. You can find the United States Tour Dates here. Here’s a look at the new work by this legend of the underground (DEFINITELY NSFW – Viewer Discretion advised):

The content is scary and gory, so if you’re averse to that, you may want to just skip straight to his bandcamp and listen today.

Burn It Down

Alphonse leads Vanessa back home. Betty prepares her endgame, and Aunt Juliet finally appears in this, the final chapter of Witchever Path’s “Underground.”

CW: Racism, Murder, Transphobia, Homophobia.

You can read the transcript here.

This episode features:

Jas LaFond as Vanessa and Juliet
Nick Frey as Kieron
Isaiah Frizelle as Uncle Nick
Ditrie Marie Bowie as Aunt Pauline
Vyn Vox as Uncle Alfred and Pen
David S. Dear as Alphonse
Shannon Perry as Betty
Eric Perry as Carl
Tim Sherburn as Deputy Pete
Richard Naldony as Deputy Ronnie
Dallas Wheatley as Kay Lazenby
Rick and Missy Croft as you action news team

Underground was written by Steven and Jas and produced by Steven

The song at the end was I SAW A GHOST LAST NIGHT by Leonell Cassio

The Witchever Path theme was written and composed by RYDR.

Keep spreading the word. We have a lot of things coming in 2020, and we want you to be a part of it. If you could, please consider signing up on our Patreon. Patreon subscribers also get access to behind the scenes content, exclusive Witchever Path episodes, and more. Go to patreon.com/witcheverpath today.

We want to the thank the brand-new subscribers to our show, Quintin Walker, Harper Jean, and Adrian Dunkley. Thank you so much for helping others choose the path.

Casting Call

Witchever Path is casting for their upcoming storyline, “Chosen.” We are looking to fill multiple roles, and are hoping to fill them by Tuesday, January 14.

Content Warning: Witchever Path loves and respects their community and actors and want to make sure that a person’s comfortability and mental health is respected. Be aware that this storyline features racism, murder, sexual themes, and the occult. We work with our actors to ensure their comfort with the lines they’re given, and endeavor to handle the subject matter with the weight and care that it deserves.

Our main roles:

Hector: 42 Cis Male, Mexican American
Third Generation in the States, grew up in Concord, New Hampshire. Former black metal musician, is a music teacher and sound tech in the area. Was the chief songwriter of the cult band Illusory Redemption. Still makes music, albeit not for performing or releasing.

Lines:

“There isn’t anything about the old days that were good.“
[horrified] They’re letting Rommel out? Now?
Our music is not about success, not the way you would deem successful. We are creating something that will leave a scar on the world.
[happy] Not me, I love dogs. Hey, buddy, what’s your name?

Rommel: 45, Cis Male, White
Being released from prison after serving twenty years for the killing of Illusory Redemption’s former frontman, Rommel is seeking to use his notoriety to push far right politics and gain money in returning to music.

Lines

I have been out for ten days, and do you know what I see? In the time I was locked away, the world became more like it was on the inside. Twenty years ago, what I believe would be universally hated. Now, I could run for office and actually win. You wonder what went wrong? Nothing. The Left got their way long enough, and people woke up.
[self righteous] Levi attacked me. Never forget that. He was threatening me, he sought me out that night. I just gave it back to him.
Do you even believe in a soul? No? Then sign the damn thing.

Mira: 43, Woman, Asexual, Disabled – Any Race
Once an accomplished drummer and master of double-pedal bass drums, life had been hard for much of the last 20 years. But Mira never gave up. She’s fit, into rock climbing and still drums, and the release of Rommel is causing her some consternation.

Lines:

[melancholic] I haven’t listened to that since Levi …. passed.
[sarcastic] We’re getting the band back together! yay.
We can’t let him just claim our music, Hector! He can’t have it. Not after what he did. We got to put a stop to it.

Hagbard 46, Nonbinary, White
The former rhythm guitarist of Illusory Redemption, and current political activist for LGBTQ and the environment. Hagbard has traveled the world on direct actions and is obsessed with doing good works to atone for a secret. Still keeps in contact with Mira.

Lines:

Paper towels, ziplock, solo cups? Just because you don’t want to wash a dish? It’s ridiculous.
Lead with your pronouns, people will likely give their back in their response. They/Them, by the way.
[angry] You came to me, hoping for some sort of camaraderie. After what you did?

Please record and submit your audition to narrator@witcheverpath.com. At the beginning, give us your name, pronouns, and who you are reading for. We’re looking forward to hearing your submissions!

Is it Paid? Yes, but not a lot. It’s about ten dollars an episode. If that’s too little we understand, and once we grow, so will the payout.

The Year of the Squirrel: Witchever Path Turns One

“It wasn’t the year of the Squirrel…”

The was how our first protagonist began his tale on January 3, 2019. While it was told in the past tense, the story was an unpredictable walk into the unknown. Both Jas and I had podcasts prior to this, but nothing like this. An interactive story, allowing listeners to move the story? Was it going to work? Would people even like this?

We uploaded the first episode to Soundcloud, and, after creating its web presence in a matter of hours, we sent it out to Facebook. And the first couple of votes for our story were done on Facebook polls and not on Witchever Path’s own page.

Then we waited… and votes came in with such alacrity, that I was surprised. Jas was less so, they’ve often been a proponent of my own creative work, and they got behind the first story with such vim and vigor. And with “Squirrels” we had succeeded in ways I never imagined. It succeeded to entertain folks, even with the gross, mucousy-sounding, creepy voice I was going for as the unnamed “host” in those early days.

“Colick,” it’s spelling a play on the magic vs. magick distinction, was next. This story was the first we had conceived, and the one that Jas took a large hand in crafting. Jas is an amazingly empathetic organizer, advocate of the marginalized, and decent person. But I knew them first as a writer and performer, and seeing this return to my partner’s roots made this project even more special.

And we got more ambitious. We began recruiting friends and fans to do voice acting work. The diversity of the voices brought us more listeners, great reviews, and saved me from having to use audio filters over and over to make myself into different people.

And you kept coming back, and you’re still coming back. Maybe it’s because you love the folklore from other cultures. Maybe its because some of you finally saw folks who looked or felt like you as leads in a story. Maybe it’s just fun.

The morning of our anniversary, we hit 10,081 listens. Our Patreon added three new people in the last three weeks. And we’ve been able to team up with the voices behind our favorite shows! Unlike Darren, we try to feed you guys what you ask for, and keep the emotional meatballs and milk on your plates.

I am fortunate that so many people listen to us. And as we go into what is to be a chaotic year for many, we are going to keep to our pathways and offer you choices and stories that we hope bring you a sense of agency and inclusivity.

What’s next?

New stories
A live show, at last!
Art and new merch

Our first twelve months were the year of the Squirrel. Let’s see what marks this year.

Love,

Steven

Happy Holidays

This is a repost of what went live on our Patreon:

When I was a kid, they were still playing Hanna-Barbera Cartoons around the holidays where all of their various animated characters would get together for the holidays. I loved those weird, non-canonical crossovers. Just as much as Jas and I love the Muppet Show, because some very serious people went onto that show and did the most ridiculous things.

And then there was the Venture Bros, who were always weird… but their creators released a holiday song with varying frequency throughout the decades that we also adored. So, here’s our try at this. Featuring some truly amazing guests who I cannot believe agreed to do this. We’ll add the full credits to this one post on the Patreon AFTER a week, because we don’t want to spoil this.

Do you want to hear it? Here it is.

Thank you, truly, for supporting and loving our little corner of the podcasting world.

Jas and Steven

Tell Kay Everything

CW: Violence, Homophobia, Racism, Transphobia.

You can also read the transcript.

We’re long past a leap of faith. Vanessa sheds light on the family. Betty decides to find her own kind of justice. And the family walks out of the shadows once and for all.

Also, after the episode, Jas has a special announcement.

We will continue the poll until Thursday, December 19.

Update: The poll for the latest episode is now closed. Please join us in the new year for the next episode!

This is the fateful choice of the storyline, and it’s all been leading to this.

After the poll closes, we’ll be hard at work for our next episode that will come out in the brand new year.

This episode featured the talents of
Jas LaFond as Vanessa
Nick Frey as Kieron
Isaiah Frizelle as Uncle Nick
Ditrie Marie Bowie as Aunt Pauline
Vyn Vox as Uncle Alfred
David S. Dear as Alphonse
Shannon Perry as Betty
Eric Perry as Carl
Tim Sherburn as Deputy Pete and some mean people
Dallas Wheatley as Kay Lazenby

This episode was written by Jas and Steven LaFond and edited by Steven LaFond

The Witchever Path theme was written and composed by RYDR.
“Fast Country Pickin'” by Jes Smith

Take Down The Flag

Part Four of Underground is here. You voted, and Vanessa’s attempting to take down Chip’s flag before the authorities see it on her family property. Let’s see how that goes.

You can also read the transcript.

The decision poll is closed, and our audience has spoken. Come back on December 12 for the latest episode and poll.

This episode featured the talents of:

Jas LaFond as Vanessa
Nick Frey as Kieron
Isaiah Frizelle as Uncle Nick
Ditrie Marie Bowie as Aunt Pauline
Vyn Vox as Uncle Alfred
Rick and Missy Croft as your action news team
Steven LaFond as Chief Parker
David S. Dear as Alphonse
Shannon Perry as Betty
Eric Perry as Carl
Tim Sherburn as Deputy Pete
Richard Naldony as Deputy Ronnie
Dallas Wheatley as Kay Lazenby

This episode was written by Jas and Steven and edited by Steven.

The Witchever Path theme was written and composed by RYDR.

Underground Part Three: Fidelity

Part Three is here and you reinforced that love means believing in your partner when the world is unbelievable. Uncle Nick speaks, the world gets smaller, and Threading is starting to unravel.

You can also read the transcript.

If you are new to this story, catch up here.

Voting is closed on Underground Part Three! we’ll see you back here on November 21 for the latest episode and poll.

This episode featured the talents of:

Jas LaFond as Vanessa
Nick Frey as Kieron
Gregory Bratton as Chip
Isaiah Frizelle as Uncle Nick
Jessia Ann as Tawny the Waitress
Ditrie Marie Bowie as Aunt Pauline
Vyn Vox as Uncle Alfred
Rick and Missy Croft as your action news team
Steven LaFond as Chief Paker and TJ

This episode was written by Jas and Steven

The Witchever Path theme was written and composed by RYDR.

“Looking Back Over the Hill” was performed by David Gwyn Jones. You can find this track on ZAPSplat.com

Join us back here on November 21. Until then, sleep with a clear consequence. Choose the Path.