This slice-of-life audio drama podcast told through voicemails adds magic to the Melbournian suburb of St Kilda in a beautifully queer…
Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!
To mark the occasion, here is my second installment of Audio Fiction I Love, where I explore the stories I keep on coming back to. This show is especially close to my heart, because it’s in my home. @loveandluckpodcast by Passer Vulpes Productions shows queer love for the joyful, healing and courageous power that it is – and it’s set in St Kilda in Naarm.
Here’s the show description:
Love and Luck is a fictional radio play podcast, told via voicemails and set in present day Melbourne, Australia. A slice of life queer romance story with a touch of magic, it follows the relationship between two men, Jason and Kane, as their love grows both for each other and their community.
For my Naarm friends, this one’s especially for you!
You can also read my first Audio Fiction I Love article on Null/Void here.
Hey hey, don’t cry, Kane and Jason from Love and Luck podcast, ok?
design notes under the cut <3
Kane:
- hes my favorite bc hes just like me Fr <3 anxiety ridden trans bi man with a thing for loud men <3
- also he’s a bear and I adore bears so obviously I had to make him unimaginably hot. At least to my artistic abilities.
- idk when I decided that he was aboriginal, but in my heart it’s real and true ❤️ hope this helps
- he’s described as looking a lot like his mother, and Julie is said to have black coily hair <3
- in my heart he’s had no surgeries, occasionally binds or packs, but usually he’s just lettin it hang <3 Im using him to live out my trans fantasies just let me HAVE THIS
- he’s called Papa Bear for a REASON. He dresses like a FATHER. I will not take any criticism on this, he wears KHAKI CARGO SHORTS and NEW BALANCES.
- the white strands in his hair are just a quirk of having hair as dark as his, but he blames it on the kids <3 (he also blames it on the kids leaving though, he can’t ever make up his mind <3)
- i like to think he’s taller than Kane, but slouches so much that people genuinely forget he’s like. 6ft tall. Big fuck 👍🏻 no truck 👎🏻
- i also hc that he’s always touching Jason <3 not in like an overly affectionate pda kinda way, but just. Pressing up against him while they’re behind the bar, or holding hands while they chat, or a hand on his waist while they’re on the train together <3 just gentle touches, bc he’s in love and needs to touch his man CONSTANTLY.
Jason:
- he says in the first couple episodes that he’s very visually queer, so I took that and sprinted with it <3
- even if he isn’t visually a punk, his attitude and radical acceptance is so punk rock and I just <3 I refuse to believe otherwise (I’m a punk and this is me again living through a character)
- they absolutely at least tried to make at least one custom Best of Luck Bar patch, but then the embroidery got too much, so Jason just painted on ‘love and luck’ <3
- i feel like he’s beefy, but it’s a CRAZY sleeper build. Fucking coma build. Looks like a skinny lanky fuck till you ask him to arm wrestle and he knocks you out in 4 picoseconds
- i feel like he’s less touchy feely in public, but he’s strapped to Kane’s back in private <3
- i also feel like he’s the local magpie. The kids bring him shiny things and he goes Oh!!!! And before he even knows it it’s in his pocket. And soon enough in a little container that Kane uses to collect his trinkets while he’s doing laundry ❤️
- in my heart he wears a rope with knots on it from Kane <3 for safety <3 and also good vibes and love
I absolutely love that you headcanon Kane as Aboriginal because whilst I would not canonise that myself (because he's voiced by a white man and I'd be Very Uncomfortable about that) - his Mum, Julie, is voiced by our beloved and proud Anaiwan woman Nic Rummery, so please consider this a non-canon endorsement of your headcanon <3
Hi everyone, Erin Kyan here. I’m the creator of Love and Luck, and I’m afraid I come with some sad news. COVID19 has had an immense effect on everyone, in so many ways. No one is unaffected, and that includes us. Fortunately I can reassure you that as of this message, no one in
Hi everyone, Erin Kyan here. I’m the creator of Love and Luck, and I’m afraid I come with some sad news.
COVID19 has had an immense effect on everyone, in so many ways. No one is unaffected, and that includes us. Fortunately I can reassure you that as of this message, no one in our team has been infected with the disease, but that doesn’t mean that life continues on like always.
The truth of the matter is that it is logistically impossible to produce Love and Luck at this time. And it will probably remain that way until we have a vaccine.
We make Love and Luck as a beautiful group of big queers in lovely big meeting rooms and a lovely big recording studio in a community centre. We can’t do that right now, both from a risk perspective and a legal one - lockdown restrictions in Melbourne are severe and it’s not clear how long it’s going to be until things like community centres are open again.
But it’s not just about the restrictions. Many of us in the team - myself included - are very high risk for complications from COVID19 should we catch it. And as much as we love making the show, a podcast isn’t worth risking our lives over.
Unfortunately, we do not have the resources to set up all of our actors with home recording setups. That’s just not an option for us right now.
Even aside from all those details - my mental health has not been doing too good lately, and I’ve found writing to be particularly difficult. While a good chunk of season three’s first draft is already there - about 16,000 words worth - it has been an uphill battle to get even that far.
So Love and Luck is officially going on hiatus for the foreseeable future. I hope that we can come back to it and give it one last season at some point in the future - but even if we can’t, this is one of the reasons I write seasons the way I do. There is no cliffhanger. If we are unable to come back, I’m happy with where we left things.
Thank you all so much for listening to our show. I never thought my little self indulgent project would become so big or so beloved. You have all had such an incredible effect on me and my life, and I am so grateful to all of you.
If you’re wondering what’s next for Passer Vulpes Productions, we are still making shows - we’re just going to move to working on things better suited to remote production. Supernatural Sexuality with Dr Seabrooke is still ongoing - we are working on season two at the moment, actually - and there will be other podcasts to come from us in future. Letting Love and Luck go for now means that I can turn that attention and work towards something new.
If you want to keep up with what we’re doing, you can follow us on twitter at @PasserVulpes, you can check out our website and join our mailing list at passervulpes.com, and you’re welcome to come join our Discord server too.
Thank you, once again, for listening. Thank you for your trust, your bravery, and your love. Thank you for making the magic real. Wherever life takes you next, I dearly wish you love and luck.
Check your podcatchers! Episode 101, our Quarantine Special, is now available. We hope this bonus episode lifts your spirits a bit in this difficult time, You can listen direct via our website , or with captions over on YouTube ! (New to the series? &nb
"Love you. See you tomorrow. Hopefully everything feels slightly less dire then."
Check your podcatchers! Episode 101, our Quarantine Special, is now available. We hope this bonus episode lifts your spirits a bit in this difficult time 💖
You can listen direct via our website, or with captions over on YouTube!
We haven't posted about the bushfires because we don't know what to say; we've been worrying and grieving and stressing so much and that's not energy we want to pass on to all of you. We're here to love & support you, not worry you. But we understand if you're worried about us.
We can let you know that the cast & crew is all safe at present. Our families and friends, however, may not necessarily be so.
Australia is a big country with a small population, and nearly every one of us is affected by these fires, even if not directly.
Even here in metropolitan Melbourne, we are wearing p2 masks when we go outside because the smoke has lowered our air quality to a serious degree. We are calling our families in the country frequently for updates on their safety. It is a very scary time.
Keep us in your hearts. We are all scared but doing our best to boost each other, because as you know, we're stronger together.
And if you would like to donate towards helping those affected, the Guardian has a good rundown on options for you:
Representation: Gay (Jason), Bisexual, trans man, anxiety (Kane)
Their Importance: Love and Luck is an incredibly sweet and gentle, slightly fantastical romance. Our two kind-hearted and enthusiastic protagonists are set up on a blind date and quickly but convincingly fall in love. Then they realize they have the magical ability to send emotions to others and manipulate luck which they use to open the Best of Luck Bar. This is a dry gay bar established to be a safe haven for anyone in the LGBTIA+ community. They soon end up with a house-full of boarders from all over the spectrum who have their own plotlines and they all quickly become a family unit. Kane being trans is off-handedly mentioned during an early conversation which is completely accepted by Jason. So far it’s only been brought up in passing- he’s been fully transitioned for years and it’s just not relevant. Considering how usually lurid and overwrought trans narratives usually are this is a refreshing change. He also has some kind of anxiety issue that frequently flares up when dealing with unexpected upsets and there’s one arc in particular where he has to struggle to get back in control after a traumatic incident. Throughout all this he carries out his responsibilities at the Best of Luck, is respected as a father figure (known as “papa bear”) by the residents and Jason is consistently, non-condescendingly compassionate about it. In episode 56 he casually reveals he’s bi rather than gay.
Issues: One arc focuses heavily on a gay-bashing and the psychological aftermath on the victim and the other residents of the bar. It’s tasteful and compassionate but it’s heavy listening especially considering how gently the story starts out.
Another wonderful write-up of our show! As a note, Love and Luck also has Asexual representation with Ricardo and CJ, and queer POC representation with Storm and Michael!
Every time Jason says “you fuckin nerd” I just get heart eyes honestly.
And when Kane calls Jason “honey”, like goddamn are they in love or what?
UGH, THIS PODCAST.
Love and Luck really is the kind of podcast you wanna listen to at the end of a shitty day, or when you’ve binged ten episodes of some really dark true crime podcasts and you need that fluffy break.
And did I mention it’s made, produced, and recorded in Australia by Australians?
To celebrate the end of season two, we’re doing a Creator Livestream! On Saturday Sept 21 at 11am (Melbourne time) creators Erin and Lee will be livestreaming to answer your questions, chat about the ending and how they feel about it, and maybe drop a hint or two of things to come in season three!
You’ll be able to watch the stream at bit.ly/loveandluckstream
If you’re not sure what time that works out for you, check this link to see what it’ll be in your timezone!
To celebrate the end of season two, we're doing a Creator Livestream! On Saturday Sept 21 at 11am (Melbourne time) creators Erin and Lee will be livestreaming to answer your questions, chat about the ending and how they feel about it, and maybe drop a hint or two of things to come in season three!
You'll be able to watch the stream at bit.ly/loveandluckstream
If you're not sure what time that works out for you, check this link to see what it'll be in your timezone!
Check your podcatchers! The Season 2 finale, Episode 100, is now available! You can also listen direct via our website , or with captions over on YouTube ! (New to the series? Here's some easy links: iTunes YouTube Pocketcasts S
"Okay... Let's do this."
Check your podcatchers! The Season 2 finale, Episode 100, "Stronger Together" is now available! You can also listen direct via our website, or with captions over on YouTube!
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