[PODCAST] Claire-Voyance: Episode Five

[mah1na]

(left to right: Victoria Moore, Claire Skye)

(Everybody thank Tori for the sound quality.)

Content Warnings: Discussion on bullying, su*cide, and kidnapping briefly. Listener discretion advised.

 

Quote

* The intro music of "Do You Believe In Magic?" plays for a moment before it fades away. The audio quality is better than it ever has been, so crisp! ((Claire Skye))*
* Victoria Moore reachs forward, sliding a slider on the audio deck to slowly reduce the volume in a soft fade, all the while increasing the gain on her and Claire's mics.
Claire Skye says: Hellooooo clairvoyants. Welcome back. I didn't know if I'd be able to continue by myself, so I won't.
Claire Skye says: Because this lovely lady beside me reached out and said she could take care of my audio stuff so I don't have to do it alone.
Claire Skye says: I'm sitting down with Tori Moore, our new sound director and co-host. Tori, you absolute sound angel, say hi.
Victoria Moore says: Uh, hi. That's me Victoria Moore. or Tori. Never Vicky though. Yeah uh... I saw the last episode of the podcast, and then binged ALLL the others. I reached out to Claire here on Facebrowser, so... here I am!
Claire Skye says: And this is your first time doing /anything/ remotely like this, yeah?
Victoria Moore says: Well I've done some audio work in the past, nothing that was ever published. And certainly not something where you her and see me. I kinda picked up a bunch of weird hobbies as a kid.
Claire Skye says: Weird and extremely useful, I think you mean. Guys, I shit you not, she overhauled everything. I have so many new things on this laptop. I dished out the money for Adobe's monopoly. It's going to be SO much easier now.
Victoria Moore says: Sometimes you got to pay for the convenience.
* Victoria Moore chuckles.
* Claire Skye's voice is extremely excited, a far cry from the depressed tone of her first solo episode prior.
Claire Skye says: Very true. And it's gonna be worth it!! Guys, thanks to you, we are taking off. Starting this podcast I would've never expected it would become what it is today. And Tori here is going to make it better than it's ever been. There's a lot in store.
Claire Skye says: But let's talk a little bit more about you as a person, Tori.
Victoria Moore says: Oh wow, well I wish I had a big backstory like a heroine in an RPG.
Claire Skye says: Don't we all.
* Claire Skye chuckles.
Victoria Moore says: So I grew up here in Los Santos. Down in Davis. My mom, she's listening her name is Shani. Hi Mom. She raised me the best she could. But the whole... having to be a single mom thing I had a lot of time to myself.
Claire Skye says: Hi Shani, you did a great job.
Victoria Moore says: So... Yeah I picked up some hobbies. I loved music, so I started to dabble in audio mixing, cause I can't sing or anything. I also started to get into well... cars.
Victoria Moore says: Even though I can't afford one.
Claire Skye says: Yet.
Victoria Moore says: Right! So yeah... I went to Davis High, I actually graduated, I was on the track team. You might have seen me if you follow local sports.
Victoria Moore says: I was San Andreas all state in 2020 and 2021 in the one hundred meter hurtles and the one hundred meter sprints.
Claire Skye says: Daaaamn.
Claire Skye says: But aside from the impressive athletic feats you're a bit of a scholar now, aren't you?
Victoria Moore says: Kinda! I am attending ULSA. I am just a Freshman. I am pre-med right now. But like every other college student in history my major is still a little up in the air.
Claire Skye says: I've been there. As you guys probably know by now I went to ULSA myself, graduated, and have my fair share of complaints about it.
Victoria Moore says: It's not perfect, I'll agree with you there Claire. I've had a few issues myself, and some... uhm... let's say I've learned a lot.
Claire Skye says: Hoo boy. Now that's education for you.
Claire Skye says: Are you open to talking about any of those or are you good?
Victoria Moore says: Of course. I'll redact any names to protect the innocent.
Claire Skye says: Please do, or I would edit 'em out.
* Victoria Moore laughs, a sprightly happy laugh.
Victoria Moore says: So I can ramble or if you got any questions, that works too!
Claire Skye says: Oh- I'm gonna let you ramble on this. Because I don't know what happened or how much you're willing to tell, so. You might as well go for it.
Victoria Moore says: Okay well hmm... I'll start with the classes. As I said I'm in the pre-med program and the classes? They are good. The professors and the dean of the department are all actual M.D.s and have a working knowledge of the field.
Victoria Moore says: So I'm already learning a lot. The classes themselves are you know... what you sign up for in a University. Very... sit in lecture hall and listen.
Claire Skye says: Mhm.
Victoria Moore says: So... it's all good there. The other students... veeeery mixed bag. I've had bad experiences and a few good ones. Now I'm a Freshman so 'new girl on campus'. I like to think I'm pretty good at being sociable.
Victoria Moore says: My first day I walked up to a group of students, said: "Hello, how are you my name is Tori." To a person all of them looked at me, ignored me and walked away.
Claire Skye says: Sounds like ULSA alright.
Victoria Moore says: That same thing happened to me two other times both on campus and running into ULSA students around town.
Victoria Moore says: It's... really something that makes you kinda uhm... you know self-conscious?
Claire Skye says: Yeah... I can imagine. You're braver than I was just walking up and introducing yourself.
Victoria Moore says: Well, I was kinda like... This is college so all the highs-school clique bullshi... uhm... bullcrap was behind everyone.
Victoria Moore says: I guess I was wrong, and in most social respects, it's even worse.
Claire Skye says: You can curse. I have a problem with it, I can't be censored.
Claire Skye says: But yeah... sounds like how it was when I was there. No change.
Victoria Moore says: I saw a student... I mean I think she was a student roll up in a frigging Pfister S2.
Victoria Moore says: Just... like it was nothing.
Claire Skye says: A... isn't that...
Victoria Moore says: It's a very expensive European made supercar.
Victoria Moore says: Like... much more than my tuition expensive.
Claire Skye says: How in the absolute /fuck/.
Victoria Moore says: I tried to strike up a convo... and well you know how that went slash-ignored.
Claire Skye says: Yep...
Claire Skye says: Man, they used to crack down on shit like that before. What happened?
Victoria Moore says: It's not all bad I met a couple of students who were very nice to me. Even went to a local bar... NO drinking for me, I'm only nineteen. But they had music, a place to dance and video games upstairs. Hideout?
* Claire Skye gasps in delight.
Claire Skye says: I LOVE Hideout.
Claire Skye says: It used to be run by some students.
Victoria Moore says: So we danced a little, played some games, it was a great night out.
Claire Skye says: That's great!!
Victoria Moore says: One name I am going to drop though. Shout out to Pris and Lena. And I hope Stevie is feeling better.
* Victoria Moore chuckles again, keeping the names vague.
Claire Skye says: Stevie??? I know the guy. Dude's besties with my partner.
Victoria Moore says: Oh yeah? Nice guy, but he was feeling a bit... under the weather.
Claire Skye says: Aw man. Hope he feels better.
Victoria Moore says: So... that was a highlight. There was also another student who I won't name, that shared some... interesting stories. About run-ins that they've had with... you'll never guess.
Victoria Moore says: The Park Rangers of all things.
Claire Skye says: The Park Rangers? I mean they're chill right?
Victoria Moore says: Uhm... not so much from what I heard.
Claire Skye says: ...What?
Victoria Moore says: I'm not going to retell the story or go into specifics because I don't want to out the identity of the storyteller... buuuuuuut.

Claire Skye says: No worries.
Victoria Moore says: Did you know the Park Rangers have a frigging SWAT team?
Claire Skye says: Uh-.
Claire Skye says: ...Bruh. For what? Werewolves? Dire bears?
Victoria Moore says: I mean if they had a supply of silver bullets... I'd get it.
Victoria Moore says: But assault weapons, body armor. And very... gestapo tactics.
Claire Skye says: ......oh no. Oh come on. Oh come /on/. Not them too.
Victoria Moore says: I'm serious! I mean let's just say this... A traffic stop devolved into four cars... eight rangers with full armor and assault weapons pointing them at a couple of girls in a truck.
Claire Skye says: ...I—
Victoria Moore says: On the megaphone. "Driver, get out with your hands up, back to us, and walk backwards towards us or we will shoot you!"
Claire Skye says: ...This is the flaw with podcasts, you guys can't see the utter disgust on my face.
Victoria Moore says: Video coming soon.
Claire Skye says: Woo.
* Victoria Moore chuckles once again.
* Claire Skye manages a chuckle.
Victoria Moore says: And that's not the worst. So... the teller of the story used some specific language to describe how they were taken into custody.
Victoria Moore says: "Violent" and "Abusive" were two of them.
Claire Skye says: ...holy fuck.
Claire Skye says: They broke the Rangers. We can't have shit out here.
Victoria Moore says: I was shocked.
Victoria Moore says: That's been my experiences so far... Going to school, hoping to land a part-time job too.
Claire Skye says: Oh! Oh oh oh oh! Tell 'em about- wait. Maybe not. Could be a spoiler for a future episode.
Claire Skye says: Uhhhhhhhhhh. Hm.
Claire Skye says: Y'know what screw it the moment was too cool, tell 'em about the Syndicate thing.
Victoria Moore says: Well... We got to meet a guest to an upcoming episode. And the garage and all the cool stuff in there. I'm a bit of a gearhead so it was kinda heaven for me.
Victoria Moore says: Oh, and that car? The one we saw? The car that I saw the student step out of at the ULSA campus? It was the civilian or 'street' version of that. Just... think about that.
Claire Skye says: THE SAME-
* A deep breath can be heard through Claire's mic. ((Claire Skye))*
Victoria Moore says: Not 'quite' the same. The race car isn't street legal, that one was legal to be driven on the street.
Victoria Moore says: Buuuuut... yaknow.
Claire Skye says: CLOSE ENOUGH.
Victoria Moore says: Exaaaactly.
Claire Skye says: It's just crazy to me, y'know. How some people are so rich even when they shouldn't be. But I guess that's capitalism.
Victoria Moore says: I mean like I said I'd like to be able to afford a card that isn't a shit... uhm... crapbox!
Victoria Moore says: Wait, I said shit so...
Victoria Moore says: Yeah, shitbox.
Claire Skye says: I literally said fuck a bit ago, you're fine.
* Victoria Moore chuckles.
* Claire Skye chuckles along.
Claire Skye says: I don't know why but I thought there would be some change to ULSA when I left. Like, the world would spite me by things being better right when I'm not a part of it.
Claire Skye says: But... it honestly sounds worse.
Victoria Moore says: So I guess... So you had that part of the show where the guest takes over and asks the questions. I want to keep that. So let me ask /you/ what were /your/ experiences in ULSA like?
Claire Skye says: Buckle up, kids.

Victoria Moore says: Totally bucked up!
Claire Skye says: So in my first year as an Arts and Humanity students I didn't have exactly a plethora of classes to choose from.
Claire Skye says: But I chose one that I ended up really liking. Basically a beginner's course on improv acting.
Claire Skye says: The classes were great but plagued with idiots just there to disrupt. The usual.
Claire Skye says: I was one of the most invested people in that class I'd say. But, uh.
Claire Skye says: I only got to go to three.
Claire Skye says: Because, uh. The professor, Ginger Caldwell, went missing.
Victoria Moore says: What? Like... just... gone?

Claire Skye says: Yup.
Claire Skye says: There was like missing posters and everything but after that the school board practically shrugged it off.
Victoria Moore says: That's insane.
Claire Skye says: Me and my friends went looking for her around where she was last reported to be seen.
Claire Skye says: Nothing.
Victoria Moore says: Oh wow... that's... crazy.
Claire Skye says: She was just... gone. And I still don't know why.
Claire Skye says: It was kinda heartbreaking to me.
Victoria Moore says: Wow... I bet, that's just crazy that everyone was just like 'oh well... so what's next?'.
Claire Skye says: Because y'know, the whole thing of why I'm here is because I got sick of being punished for my imagination.  I got sick of having to study something I never wanted to.
Claire Skye says: She was the first teacher to ever /cultivate/ my imagination.
* Claire Skye's voice is dripping with emotion at this point, unable to stop it.
Victoria Moore says: Oh damn... And she was just kinda... callously forgotten about by the administration? That's effing brutal, dude.
Claire Skye says: Yeah... it. It really was.
Claire Skye says: It felt like I was the only one mourning for her.
Claire Skye says: ...I spent so many days just standing at the big tree on campus she used as our outdoor classroom just. Talking to her.
Victoria Moore says: Damn... that's rough.
Claire Skye says: Yeah... but time marched on. Another theater related teacher came along, had similar ideas on teaching out of the lecture hall.
Claire Skye says: Dr. Lange.
Claire Skye says: I loved her classes. She was always so... I don't know what it is. She was always so down to earth and kind to everyone in that room even if they were being shitheads. But she didn't take any shit either.
Victoria Moore says: Well, Claire. Regardless of that I am glad you found your imagination... I mean well our listeners will soon find out I have a love of quotes.
Victoria Moore says: “The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.”
Claire Skye says: Oh my gosh the wisdom is back.
* Claire Skye manages a smile at that.
Victoria Moore says: I kinda got into reading Nietzsche at a younger-than-usual age.
Claire Skye says: I... never got to complete her class. Because she was promoted to the Dean of the Arts and Humanities course.
Victoria Moore says: Wow... so what did you end up graduating with?
Claire Skye says: Liberal arts and sciences. But I never actually finished a class through to its end.
Victoria Moore says: Damn...
Claire Skye says: It's kinda like. I have the pretty paper now but I didn't REALLY get to learn what it entails.
Claire Skye says: Sorry I went on a huge tangent. But uh.
Claire Skye says: Bullies were fucking horrible.
Victoria Moore says: Bullies? Did you get bullied?
Claire Skye says: I managed to avoid it. But I had friends who did. Big time. 
Claire Skye says: Hell. Students were constantly taking their lives.
Victoria Moore says: I didn't want to out any of my friends with specifics, but do you mind sharing some of those stories?
Victoria Moore says: About the bullying, that is.

Claire Skye says: Of course.
Victoria Moore says: The second thing well... well... Yeah.
Claire Skye says: An old friend of mine that also went to ULSA dealt with bullying from someone. And it drove her down a dark path with a lot of depression and self hatred.
Victoria Moore says: Wow... that's... harsh.
Claire Skye says: She was on the spectrum too. Kind of at the point where socialization was a huge hurdle.
Victoria Moore says: Oh wow, and the... how rough it is for someone who is sociable... I can barely imagine.
Claire Skye says: Then all of a sudden her bully ended herself and there was a big vigil for her. And everyone was saying about how kind she was.
Claire Skye says: I had to go up and more or less go "Hey sorry your friend's dead but she was a pretty shitty person".
Victoria Moore says: Oh man that sounds... super awkward.
Claire Skye says: Yyyyyyeah.
Victoria Moore says: So I want to take a moment.
Victoria Moore says: And address all our listeners out there... Who might be being bullied. Whether they go to ULSA or don't and say something.
Victoria Moore says: “The higher we soar the smaller we appear to those who cannot fly.”
Claire Skye says: Aw...
Victoria Moore says: So if you are feeling sad or lonely out there, we are here for you, even if we are just voices on the speakers.
Claire Skye says: I agree, one hundred percent.
Claire Skye says: We've been there. We hear you.
Claire Skye says: ...The worst thing I've seen from the ULSA school board itself though.
Victoria Moore says: What's that?
Claire Skye says: There was a conference about LGBTQ+ rights and students in the lecture hall. And not only were people blatantly homophobic and ignorant, but the entire council talking about it. All of them were /straight/. Except one person, who was filling in for a straight woman.
Claire Skye says: And she was the only one who was honest. The only one who said "Yeah this sucks there isn't jack shit we can do about it with things like they are right now".
Victoria Moore says: Wow.... just wow... I mean to dovetail off of that. This is an LGBTQ+ friendly podcast still. And like Claire I am also part of that community.
Claire Skye says: Awesome.
Victoria Moore says: And... that explains so much about the /vibe/ on campus.
Claire Skye says: But yeah. I can still see that awkward /grin/ on Dunois's face when that one lesbian was breaking it down. Tried having her on the show, didn't work out.
Victoria Moore says: That's too bad, that would have been great to talk to them.
Claire Skye says: There was another one I went to and spoke at though, and kinda encouraged that friend on the spectrum I mentioned earlier to talk about her experiences.
Victoria Moore says: How did that one go?
Claire Skye says: Good except for the "this is too gay" and the "i thought this was a barbeque".
Claire Skye says: And random people getting up and leaving.
Victoria Moore says: And the listeners can't see it, but this is my surprised face.
Claire Skye says: Nothing changed though apparently- pff.
Claire Skye says: But yeah, I heard the d-slur around campus constantly. Is it still like that?
Victoria Moore says: Well all I can say from my experience is that it just kinda was shuffled to 'we don't talk about it' now.
Claire Skye says: Ah.
Victoria Moore says: Not really an improvement. And I've not heard any slurs like that... yet.
Claire Skye says: That's something.
Claire Skye says: Well I went on way too long of a ramble. Do you have any other questions for me?
Victoria Moore says: Hmm, okay, I do have one. Tell me what inspired that /vibrant/ blue 'do you are sporting now.
* Claire Skye snickers.
Claire Skye says: Well. I kinda change my hair when there's a big change in my life.
Claire Skye says: You can tell what 'era' I was in based on what my hair color was.
Victoria Moore says: Oooh, okay, break down that lore. Even if we go long, I gotta hear that.
Claire Skye says: Like my last purple curly look was after I figured out that the government was using me and Shawna- surprised pikachu face- should've known.
Claire Skye says: Went full on anarchist mode.
Victoria Moore says: Never trust the government, man.
Claire Skye says: Never.

Victoria Moore says: And if the cops start questioning you. Your friends are: "I don't answer questions.' "I am exersizing my right to remain silent." and "Not without an attourney."
Claire Skye says: Damn right. ACAB.
Claire Skye says: But I think the big change that sparked this is... well, the podcast first of all. And. Shawna's departure.
Victoria Moore says: Thanks for breaking that down a little though. I love the lore behind your hair!
* Claire Skye giggles.
Claire Skye says: No problem, honestly.
Victoria Moore says: Well... I think we've about reached the end. Unless you have any more burning questions for me?
Claire Skye says: I can't say that I do. But we'll see if the viewers do. Comments are gonna be on but moderated based on the briefly heavy content.
Victoria Moore says: And speaking of... Next week's show. Want to give the listener's a liiiiitle preview
Claire Skye says: Maybe. I'll just say it with our endorsements.
Claire Skye says: Claire-Voyance officially endorses Syndicate Motorsports. And... its best racer.
* Victoria Moore snickers.
Victoria Moore says: Who is very... 'Minty' fresh!
* Claire Skye cracks up.
Claire Skye says: Oh my god, dudeeeee.
Victoria Moore says: Had to.
Claire Skye says: Okay, okay, I'll keep it in, it's just that funny.
Claire Skye says: G'night guys. Oh. Sorry for randomly deciding you listeners are clairvoyants now. If y'all got a name for yourselves that's better, we're listening.
Victoria Moore says: And remember... “And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.”

 

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Edited April 20, 2022 by mah1na

[Montana Fats]

Username: Allison7521

Comment: Great show! Listened to this tonight while I worked on my photos!