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Audio AudioConsumption Beyond The Wall Consumption Events Podcast Website News

PG Farewell Stream Announcment

#BecausePGH

Edit: Here is the direct YouTube link to watch the recording

 

Hello SpecFicMedia listeners,

On Wednesday, October 8th, 2014 at 9pm Eastern, the Beyond the Wall crew will be recording a live podcast show in which we will bid farewell to our good friend, P.G. Holyfield.

There is also an in-person gathering and a Memorial Service occurring on Oct 11th and 12th, respectively.

If you would like to attend one or both of those events, please check the links on this post at SpecFicMedia.com.

Of course, we understand that not everyone will be able to attend in person.

For so many, these podcasts are how they knew him.

So, the show on Wednesday the 8th will be a way for us, and for you, to express your feelings about this man, who brought so many people together.

We on the crew will be sharing our feelings and memories, but, we would also like to hear from you. If you have words, audio or video that you would like to share, please email it to us at BTW@SpecFicMedia.com.

Even if you have already sent something, please re-send it if you would like it to appear on this show. If you would like to send something that is just for family or any other private audience, please indicate this in your email.

And of course, if you are reading this too late or are just unable to put your feelings together before we record, please send anyways.

Also, please help us boost the signal, both for this announcement and the show event links that will follow, so that everyone that would like to can participate.

P.G. Holyfield founded a great community at SpecFicMedia, but now his watch has ended.

Our watch continues and so we will carry on our sacred duty, which is to talk about things we love – and people that we love – with all of you.

Thank you, from your friends at SpecFicMedia.com.

 

Farewell video stream on October 8 at 9pm (YouTube Hangouts on Air)

Gathering in Charlotte, NC on October 11 Facebook event page

Flying Saucer Restaurant
9605 N. Tryon Street, Suite A
Starting 6:00pm

Memorial Service in Charlotte, NC on October 12 Facebook event page

Embassy Suites
4800 S. Tryon Street
(shuttles available from Charlotte Douglas Airport)
Starting 12:00 pm, in the banquet room

Donations to the Patrick G. Holyfield Children’s Fund – GoFundMe

Categories
Website News

SFM Special Announcement

A brief audio announcement on our loss of PG.

Categories
Author News/Announcements Authors News Website News

PG Holyfield Health Announcement

PG and Kim, July 2014

EDIT: P.G. passed away on August 20th, 2014. Thank you so much for the past and continued support!

 

Beloved friends, family, and fans of P.G. (Patrick) Holyfield,

It is with heavy hearts that we share the news that PG was recently diagnosed with cancer. We apologize that you have to find out this way, but this has surprised us all.

Over the past two weeks he has had extensive testing at his local hospital, as well as another round of tests and confirming opinion from a second hospital.

What it comes down to is that there are no treatment options, primarily because the cancer has spread to his organs. It has moved silently and swiftly and only presented symptoms in the last month. The disease has already taken a heavy toll.

Sadly, communication is already very difficult for him, so if you have called, texted, emailed, PM’d, or reached out in any other way in the last few weeks and haven’t heard back, this is why. It’s not because he doesn’t want to, it’s that he cannot. Please take no offense.

Organ failure and the pain meds have made it hard to communicate as clearly as we’re all used to. He has been focusing on rest and nutrition to fight this battle, and now we focus on time. The brief time for PG to experience the width and breadth of all of the lives he has touched.

As ever, Patrick has his special lady friend Kim (as he likes to introduce her) as well as family and close friends helping him get through this. If you would like to see him, please contact Vivid Muse immediately to try and work out details. The sooner, the better, as we’re told.

If you would like to send a brief video or audio greeting, or an email message (all to choochus@gmail.com) we will make sure he hears and sees it. If not video, please include a picture we can show as we read it to him. These messages of support and hearing how much he has meant to people gives a huge lift.

We’re by his side for moral and physical support. We’ve set up a GoFundMe Page for donations to help defray the mountains of medical bills this sort of thing results in, and to help PG with the other expenses in comforting him and his family in the coming weeks. We’d appreciate you sharing the link far and wide, and donating if able.

With your help in spreading the word, we can rally more support around him. Your well wishes will greatly lift his spirits.

 

Sincerely,

Viv and Chooch

Questions and Answers

Q: What kind of cancer is it?
A: It is called Cholangiocarcinoma. As is common with this form of cancer, the exact location of origin is not known. It is aggressive and spreads quickly before symptoms are experienced.

Q: What “stage” is he at?
A: There hasn’t been an official designation, however, it is “late” stage. It has spread to his lymph nodes and organs, and is inoperable. Patrick went through one chemo treatment, but the disease did not respond as well as was hoped. His organs have begun to shut down. The doctors have been talking in days and weeks, rather than months and years.

Q: Where is he, can I send something?
A: Patrick is being cared for at home in Charlotte, North Carolina. In lieu of sending cards or flowers, please donate to his GoFundMe Page.

Q: How long has he been sick? This seems fast.
A: Extremely fast. Early in July Patrick began feeling “run down”, and shortly thereafter had some minor pain. He went in for a check up and the doctors initially thought he may have gall stones. After initial blood tests they knew there was something more serious. Two weeks ago they knew it was cancer and started more testing. Two days ago we learned there were no treatment options.

Q: Can I call him? How can I get in touch?
A: PG is currently unable to talk on the phone. You can send email or a Facebook message which we’ll read to him and show him your picture if we have one. Better yet, record a quick video or audio message! You can send a private YouTube or Dropbox link, Google Drive share, or attach to an email (to choochus@gmail.com).

Q: Is this a secret? Can I re-Tweet this or share it on Facebook or forward this to a friend?
A: Yes, please do! We want everybody that has read his stories, heard him on a podcast, or attended one of his convention panels to get the word. We feel that he could use all of the kind words and support possible.

Q: What can I do to help?
A: Send that encouraging video or message. Please share the donation link, shout it from the rooftops, and donate if you are able. Since we know posts get filtered, re-share in coming days to get the word out. Depending on your beliefs; sending prayers, positive thoughts, white light, good vibrations, noodly appendages, and rainbows are all greatly appreciated. Whether you believe in a higher power or not, he needs all the help he can get.

Q: Who the heck are you, anyway?
A: Viv and Chooch are friends of Patrick, as well as co-hosts on some of his podcasting and video endeavors. As parents, gamers, and dog lovers of similar age and interests, we’ve become very close over the past seven years. Our hope is to bring folks together in support of PG as quickly as possible.

Categories
Feature

Feature – The Eye of Newb – GoT Season 4 Episode 8

Editor’s Note: “The Eye of Newb” contains spoilers from the episode listed. If you have not watched the episode written about, you have been warned. But as Matt has not read the books (as of yet), you do not have to worry about future spoilers.

ALSO: Matt had this into me weeks ago. I have been very remiss and apologize for not getting this up sooner. Episodes 9 and 10 of The Eye of Newb should be coming soon.

 

The Eye of Newb (Return of the Newb)
Game of Thrones Season 4, Episode 8: The Mountain and The Viper

“Deciding a man’s guilt or innocence in the eyes of the gods by having two other men hack each other to pieces… tells you something about the gods.”- Tyrion Lannister

 

So-o, New York, and then Denver and US Airways (the “new” American Airlines), have all claimed me as their victims in the past few weeks, Friends.  Not necessarily in that order.  A bit of a more specific rant on at least a large chunk of this imprisonment in stages as we go along.  Once again, yer Faithful Newb finds himself racing to catch up with the events of Westeros – and, oh giddy up, boy – this here is the episode.  The title alone promises it.  The New Boy from Dorne and the uglier (in spirit anyway) Clegane brother are due to get it on, with the life of my beloved Imp dangling precariously in the balance.  Make it so, HBO Go.  Make it freakin’ so.  Off we go!

  • To a bilgewater little muddy-street burgh, and a young lady with an impressive belching range coupled with a wide, nay colorful, vocabulary.
  • Oh, this must be Molestown and the graceful and inspiring company into which The Tarley has consigned sweet, dear and dim Gilly along with Young Sam.  Dolt.
  • The gratuitously burping maiden has decided to make Gilly her prison bitch or at least assert some version of class-rage or territorial supremacy upon her.  Charming.
  • What ho?  Gilly turns in a heartbeat from meek wilding to all “shut yer mouth.” I own you on the belcher at the fake bird calls employed by Ygritte and her band of Merry Murderers and Cannibals.  You go, girl!  Even though you’ll be stone dead and possibly supper in a moment.
  • Slaughter of innocents, and a few inebriated Crows, ensues, but wait…
  • The Flame-haired Free Folk Stewardess has a heart of gold after all, deciding on a whim to spare Gilly and the Baby Sam.  This character creates so much conflicting in me, Dear Readers.  She’s confounding, dull, stoic and all “you know nothing” to the point of tears in one episode. Then, a week later, she’s all Sheena Warrior Princess: The New Batch.  And then, just for kicks, she gets all noble and pissy and wonderful the next.  Dammit.
  • Cut away to – oh Gawd no – The Tarley.  Simpering and moaning again.  About the blood on his hands (again).  Looking all forlorn and weepy (again).  And blubbering his way through 5 minutes of my teevee time (again)!
  • While my Tarley Rage sweeps upon me  a quick aside to the Rant on New York, Part the First…

Newb will indulge in a small series of assumptions here, Friends…  One, that most of the three of you left do not live in NYC.  Two, that some of you have been to NYC, and further…  Three, that some of you may have even ventured into the yawning hellhole that is midtown Manhattan.

Now, with that as presumptive context, and with the intent of relating this rNtn at least some small way to speculative fiction, one final assumption…  That some, if not all, of you have been exposed to The Hunger Games.

Thus, ahem, beggineth the Rant…

New York City is, in fact, the Capitol fromThe Hunger Games, Dear Readers, and not in a good, “Hey, there’s Lenny Kravitz!” way, but in the rapacious, vampire-squid, consume all and create nothing way.  It has precisely zero redeeming qualities, from the insensible and frightening fashion choices to the hideously overpriced and bourgeois foodstuffs.  From the mountainous piles of bagged trash coating the sidewalks like mucus to the omnipresent wafting scent of stress and urine.  The sky cowers in miniature rectangles before the strangling hunks of oddly-mixed “architecture” and the people push past, around and through anyone who fails to adapt their aggressive, rapid and largely incoherent shuffle.  I loathe it.  Especially its lack of civility, basic humanity and HBO.

  • Pause for breath…. And…
  • Off to Splashy Time in the river for the Unsullied and Greyworm, whom, upon his greedy stare at his tutor descends deep into a case of hot for teacher.  Awkward.
  • So we slip away to Danaerys debriefing her handmaiden on the aforementioned Underequipped Horniness Upon the Waters.  I really did not need the whole curious about castration spiel.  Not one bit.
  • Lots of time in Meereen this week, Friends, wherein the Mountain and the Viper stubbornly refuse to engage in any attempt to murder each other.  Boooo-ring!
  • At least we have this whole subtitled,halting and thoroughly icky teenage love story betwixt Grey Worm and his language arts teacher to buoy us, right?  Endearing, isn’t it?  Not really.
  • Rage rising (thank you, Ben Stiller)…

So, about New York…  Rant, Part the Second (and hopefully the Last, as I must focus). How is it that the City That Never Sleeps is a positive slogan?  Do you know why it never sleeps?  Allow me to enlighten you.  It never sleeps because there’s some sort of bonus program for cabbies who honk inexplicably at 3am.  Apparently, also, the only time that any significant construction is permitted by law is after midnight.  Lastly, the average hotel room is only slightly less posh than solitary at Pelican Bay.  That’s why.

  • Apologies.  Rage subsiding.
  • Thankfully, Meereen is gone again, and we sweep across the Narrow Sea to… Ramsay and Reek?!  Again, no Viper, no Mountain, no battle of epic proportions.  Dammit!  As if I’m not all ascetic and torqued up enough already, the Newb must sit through the Tarley, the Awkward Romance, and now the Batshit Crazy.  Sigh.  I guess I’ll strap in for the long haul.
  • Listen, Theon… You’re screwed.  I promise that this insane freak will tear you asunder and flay your mind and spirit before he’s done with you.  Run.
  • But no.  Instead Reekjoy offers his countrymen the same “just and fair treatment” as he himself received.  Ah, crap.  Are they all going to lose their favorite toys, too?
  • Ha!  I love the reaction of the Ironborn lieutenant to his commanders decision to fight on.  A tomahawk to the skull will. change anyone’s mind, I guess.
  • Yep…just and fair.  Flayed and tortured.  Ramsay, you’re a complete raving lunatic psycho bastard (literally), and someone should just kill your ass soon.  Perhaps the Mountain or the Viper.  Please?
  • Cut away to… well, at least it’s Baelish (yes! Baelish!). I’m in for this.
  • Hee, hee, hee… if Littefinger’s lips are moving, he is operating.  one more compliment directed at the Vale or its People and his face will freeze in that knowing, canny smirk.
  • And again, for the second time in his recent visit to the Eyrie, Littlefinger finds his schemes thwarted at every turn.  The Counsel will speak to Sansa, and he will not have a chance to prep the witness.  Interesting and nicely tense.
  • Enter Sansa.  How will she play this? Uh-oh.  She promises truth.  I can sense Baelish’s panic from the other side of the screen.
  • Holy crap!!  You GO, Sansa!  I did not see that coming, but the Poor, Poor Pitiful One has learned well in the orbit of Littlefinger and Cersei.  She has played this extremely effectively.  Forget Poor and Poor and Pitiful… Sansa Stark is now an operator in her own right, one who is owed a large favor by the best operator in the land.  Master stroke.
  • Oh, and did I mention that Barelish escapes… again!  Love it.
  • Especially enjoyable was the spectacle of Petyr Baelish staring on, in near admiration of Sansa’s deception.  That, to me, is graduation.  With Honors.
  • A quick sally through the Eyrie sets up Littlefinger’s next step in the plan – get Robin out of the Eyrie.  Why do i have a sneaking suspicion that he won’t be coming back.  Ever.  Now, who would that leave as The Lord of the Vale again?  Oh, right… Baelish.
  • Back to Meereen?!  Oh, for the love of all that’s holy, why?!  Mister Selmy, sir?  Message for you.  Could this be why Tywin needed his quill a few episodes back?
  • Solemn grunting between Selmy and Jorah follows, and yes, this epistle did originate with Tywin Lannister – a royal pardon for spying, apparently.  Oh, Tywin, you savvy manipulator. Sadly, this means more time in Meereen, but it does once again highlight Barristan Selmy’s defining honor.  I’m sorry I ever questioned it.
  • Of course this turn of events does not amuse Dany in the slightest.  So she send the Andal packing on a mule, like Clint Eastwood.  I guess it brings new meaning the the old chestnut “and the horse you rode in on.”  Moderately pointless table-setting. Either way, I’ve lost the will to care.  Meereen grows almost as tiresome to yer Newb as Manhattan.  Can we move it along?
  • Back away across the Sea to somewhere in Derry or Belfast… er, the North… and the Bolton Show.  So Ramsay gets his dreams fulfilled and his father’s name.  That whole scene took a lot longer than it needed to just to establish that there’s a lot of the North and Mel Gibson won’t be here, blue face paint or no.  Ate least there was some semblance of mountains in it.  No Viper anywhere, tho.
  • And much like the previous curiosity about castration, yer Newb did not need the whole “Reek gives Ramsay a bath” mental imagery at all.  Shudder.
  • Back to the Eyrie – it’s in the mountains, I guess – and the ultimate, growling question from Littlefinger to Sansa:  “Why did you help me?”  Sansa, Dear, I am not only wholly your little sister’s now, I may be wholly yours.
  • Speaking of Arya (yes, Arya!), she and the Hound appear to be making their way along the Ambush Highway to the Eyrie.  And there’s a Clegane in this scene (finally!)
  • Oh Dear Lawd, but Sandor Clegane has literally the worst luck ever, and I am even deeper in love with Arya.  Maisie Williams’ laugh is just so inappropriate and infectious.  Auntie is dead, and one more path is closed to the Hound and his ‘companion’.  Magical.
  • Snip to the inside of the Eyrie, and Robyn the idiot-boy expressing his distaste and fear for Littlefinger’s ‘leave the Eyrie’ plan.
  • Aside… I wonder how much of his soul Baelish would have given to kow that the other Stark daughter was at the gates of his fortress?  What leverage to have missed out on.
  • And speaking of Stark Girls… er.. Ladies… er, uh, um… damn!  Sansa has bloomed into full-on Maleficent, courtesan, fairy princess hotness.  It’s literally all Littlefinger can do not to leer.  Amazing!
  • Fi-nally!!  Off to the dungeons of King’s Landing, wherein Tyrion (yes! Imp!) and Jaime converse about the not-so-subtle truth at the heart of this long and sordid tale by Mr. Martin.  Maybe, just maybe, the gods of Westeros are only mentally-deficient children crushing beetles with stones.  Chunk-chunk-chunk.
  • And the gong sounds, the guards come, and we’re finally off the the Mountain and the Viper!  Giddy with the glee, Friends.
  • Okay, so that last six… six?!… six? …only six, Producers?!  You teasing, toying bastards!!  Anyway, that last six minutes was worth all of the preamble.  So much so that I was completely engrossed and am just now catching up on notes.
  • The New Boy fought incredibly well.  He could have and should have killed Gregor Clegane with barely a scratch – which would’ve only cemented his legend – but he fell victim to the scourge of the supremely confident…
  • Monologuing?!  The Red Viper of Dorne falls victim to the oldest comic book villain mistake in the book?  Will they never learn?  Kill.  Then monologue.  Not the other way around.  The other way around ends with a popped head.  Literally.  Like a grape.  Awesome.
  • The looks of gloom, then hope, then triumph, then horror in the crowd were priceless.  Except for the little smirk at the end from Cersei.  Bitch.
  • I’ve never seen Tywin move that fast to declare something over, either.
  • All that said… The Imp.  Can Not. Die.  Producer… you hear me?  I will quit and walk away from it all if Tyrion is actually executed.   And this time, I mean it.

So, denoument…

The Good – Head-popping wonderfulness.  A horribly wounded Mountain.  Arya’s laughter and Lady Sansa’s emergence from the chrysalis.

The Bad – Meereen… all of it.  The Reek and Ramsay show.  Cersei wins again, if only ata terrible cost.

The Ugly – A Tarley resurgence, and did I mention New York?

 

Until some undisclosed location in time, I remain Yer Faithful Newb.

 

 

Categories
Beyond The Wall

Game of Thrones Meme Round Up

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Lena wins, of course!

See you next year!

Categories
Audio Beyond The Wall Podcast

Audio: Beyond the Wall – Season 4 – Episode 10

At 9 pm Eastern on Wednesday, June 18th, Nutty, P.G., Chooch, and Viv discussed \\The Children,\\ episode 10 of season 4 of HBO’s Game of Thrones. Christiana stowed away on that ship with Arya bound for Braavos, but I had her notes so I did my best to simulate our normal “P.G. you’re wrong and this is why!” banter as if she was there!

Yes, we went 3 1/2 hours. And we could have talked for another couple if my dog hadn’t needed to pee so badly. We hope you enjoy it!

Contest Survey:

We do a weekly contest, attempting to predict certain elements in next week’s show. Number of deaths? Number of times Cersei will take a sip of wine? Anyways, if you want to take part in this week’s contest, fill out the survey here. You’ll most likely be mentioned on next week’s show.

The video version of the show can be viewed on our YouTube Channel

Hosts:

P.G. Holyfield (author of Murder at Avedon Hill and SFM Founder
Chooch (Into the Blender Podcast Co-Host)
Vivid Muse (Into the Blender Podcast Co-Host, Girls’ Rules Podcast Host)
Christiana Ellis (too many podcasts to list here, but you can check out all things Christiana at her site).
Nuchtchas (Host of Nutty Bites Podcast)

Contact Us:

Email: btw at specficmedia dot com
Phone: 6199-BTW-GoT (619-928-9468)
Comments: On the site

Categories
Beyond The Wall

Game of Thrones Meme Roundup


 

 

Categories
Audio Beyond The Wall Podcast

Audio: Beyond the Wall – Season 4 – Episode 9

At 9 pm Eastern on Wednesday, June 11th, Nutty, P.G., Chooch, Viv and Christiana discussed \\The Watchers on The Wall,\\ episode 9 of season 4 of HBO’s Game of Thrones. Jon was finally the man?! Alliser Thorne kicked ass? What the hell? We had a lot of fun, and we hope you enjoy the episode.

Contest Survey:

We do a weekly contest, attempting to predict certain elements in next week’s show. Number of deaths? Number of times Cersei will take a sip of wine? Anyways, if you want to take part in this week’s contest, fill out the survey here. You’ll most likely be mentioned on next week’s show.

The video version of the show can be viewed on our YouTube Channel

Hosts:

P.G. Holyfield (author of Murder at Avedon Hill and SFM Founder
Chooch (Into the Blender Podcast Co-Host)
Vivid Muse (Into the Blender Podcast Co-Host, Girls’ Rules Podcast Host)
Christiana Ellis (too many podcasts to list here, but you can check out all things Christiana at her site).
Nuchtchas (Host of Nutty Bites Podcast)

Contact Us:

Email: btw at specficmedia dot com
Phone: 6199-BTW-GoT (619-928-9468)
Comments: On the site

Categories
Beyond The Wall

Game of Thrones Meme Roundup

GRRMsmashes toys

Screen shot 2014-06-11 at 11.33.09 AM

Not exactly a meme but a good cause that george is supporting.  And hey if you've got $7500 you can get his hat! or $20K will get you in the novel
Not exactly a meme but a good cause that george is supporting. And hey if you’ve got $7500 you can get his hat! or $20K will get you in the novel

by Charles C. Dowd & Martin Brandt.
Either Peter has great style, which may be the case, or HBO gives him the best tee shirts hoping images like this get snapped, or both.
Categories
Audio Beyond The Wall Podcast

Audio: Beyond the Wall – Season 4 – Episode 8

At 9 pm Eastern on Wednesday, June 4th, Nutty, P.G., Chooch and Christiana discussed \\The Mountain and and The Viper,\\ episode 8 of season 4 of HBO’s Game of Thrones. Most of us loved the episode… but of course I had my complaints. Listen, and see if you think I’m as silly as Christiana did! 

Contest Survey:

We do a weekly contest, attempting to predict certain elements in next week’s show. Number of deaths? Number of times Cersei will take a sip of wine? Anyways, if you want to take part in this week’s contest, fill out the survey here. You’ll most likely be mentioned on next week’s show.

The video version of the show can be viewed on our YouTube Channel

Hosts:

P.G. Holyfield (author of Murder at Avedon Hill and SFM Founder
Chooch (Into the Blender Podcast Co-Host)
Vivid Muse (Into the Blender Podcast Co-Host, Girls’ Rules Podcast Host)
Christiana Ellis (too many podcasts to list here, but you can check out all things Christiana at her site).
Nuchtchas (Host of Nutty Bites Podcast)

Contact Us:

Email: btw at specficmedia dot com
Phone: 6199-BTW-GoT (619-928-9468)
Comments: On the site