u/Its_Projection

Ever since I started listening to fiction podcasts, these two have been dear to me. They have a similar quality and following as podcasts, and true to form they are often brought up in the same conversation- but they are nothing alike!

They were released years apart, TMA has wrapped up while WTNV started years earlier and is still going strong. One is about an American Midwest radio show, one is a British man in the basement of an institute. Apart from the trope of ‘guy speaking on his own’, they have basically no overlap. Sure, they’re supernatural horror podcasts, but there are plenty out there!

There is something inherent in the way these two podcasts tackle their themes that makes them feel connected. And I think I now know how to put it into words.

The Magnus Archives makes the mundane horrifying, and Welcome to Nightvale makes the horrifying mundane.

In TMA, the vast bulk of statements are apart normal people going about their normal routine, when an aspect of it suddenly becomes unsettling and mysterious.

In WTNV, unsettling and mysterious events are discussed as normally as what you had for breakfast, or (haha) the weather.

They both connect to the viewer on an intrinsic level, and are masters at their craft.

Just a fun crossover/‘what-if’ idea.

Specifically the movie version that had the full bio-dome. Because it was actually filmed on a British beach, it would be funny to think of Jon and Martin initially thinking they’ve just ended up in somewhere else in the country.

When in fact, they are 16 light years away and there is only one other human on this planet.

I just think it would be so funny for both them and then Grace and Rocky to have to explain both of their situations, whether or not Jon still has his powers. And then have to deal with essentially becoming the new additions to the Eridian human enclosure 😭

I am not sure how to get this through my head, and would love a concise explanation if possible.

I know that different energy levels within the atom correspond to the maximum amount of electrons allowed per level. I understand the Bohr model, and valence electrons. However, going between that and orbitals is just not clicking with me. Here are my confusions:

-What is the actual difference between an S orbital and P orbital? I know that functionally an SP is just an S and P together, and SP^2 is S with two Ps and so on, but what does that actually mean, structurally?

-What about electrons in excited vs non-excited states, how does that work? I have seen diagrams with arrows at each level, one or two or none filled. I don't understand what rules they are following.

-How can you intuitively know the orbital structure of an atom? I vaguely know that all period one elements have S orbitals, but have no idea what the further implications of that are.

-Where are these balloon-like diagrams coming from? Where does an S orbital go from being a sphere to a P being an oblong balloon?

I promise, I have watched YouTube videos and skimmed textbook pages. I am studying this summer before I have to take O-Chem in the fall, and really want to understand this as well as I can. These are not the most well-worded questions, I would really appreciate any guidance, ideally from someone who was initially confused by this topic as well.

Thank you so much!!