We dropped a brief update into our feed today. Our story is about supporting each other across oceans and time zones, no matter what. In these times of uncertainty, isolation and fear, we want to remind you that you are not alone. We are all in this together.⁠

First of all, I hope you are well, and safe, and taking care of yourself and of those closest to you. I know if you are isolated, maybe in quarantine, whether alone or with family, this can be a very trying time. If you are braving the outside world, whether because you can or because you have to, I salute you, and I  trust that you are taking every precaution to stay safe and healthy. 

Y2K tells a story that deals with traumatic events in many ways, and for that reason we constructed a resource page on our website with hotline numbers and online support from many different parts of the world, there you can find support on things likes mental health, domestic abuse, LGBTQ+ support,  general crisis and suicide hotlines. If you feel you need support like that, please go to y2kpod.com/resources and I really hope you will find help. And in any case, please don’t struggle alone,  reach out. ask for help. Also, if a story like Y2K takes too much energy for you right now, please find something else you enjoy. I would like to recommend for example light and funny literary podcast Heyer Today, about regency romance novelist Gergette Heyer or lighthearted hopeful fantasy fiction podcast Sidequesting about Rion avoiding the main plot. For more like this, search for ’hopepunk’, and let those stories lift you up. Y2K will always be there waiting when you feel up for a more emotional and dramatic story. 

However Y2K is also a story of hope, and of friendship, and of supporting each other from afar, and those are things that are very close to my heart. Online community can be an amazing resource in these times of uncertainty and isolation. I have found wonderful support from for example the CastJunkie Discord server, the Audio Drama Hub facebook group, and the Twitter Audio Drama community in general. The easiest way to find that is using the #AudioDramaSunday hashtag. I’ll put links to these in the episode description, and I really encourage you to seek out online support and community if you are feeling isolated and lonely. 

From a production point of view I know many shows are slowing down or halting production during these uncertain times, which makes a lot of sense. We will most likely not have to do that – Y2K was written and recorded last year, and I am several months ahead in terms of editing and sound design. So as far as I can tell right now, Y2K will continue will weekly releases. However, when I wrote it last year I of course had no clue this would be happening now, and Olivia’s part of the story is meant to unfold this year, right now. So for this week’s episode, wonderful Kirsty Woolven, who plays Olivia, has recorded a few extra sentences about the current situation with the corona virus. It felt like Olivia would be in some kind of an alternate reality if we didn’t do that. However, going forward,  in order to tell the story I want to tell, I may have to detach Olivia’s reality from ours just a little. Í don’t know yet, but we shall see where it goes. 

We are telling a story from different parts of the world, and our voice actors span 8 countries, 3 continents and 5 time zones. As far as I know, today. everyone is safe and well, and I very much that hope you are too. Thank you so much for listening. 

I am sending you hugs across all the oceans – oceans and oceans of hugs. 

Karin Heimdahl

Links 

• Resources and hotlines https://y2kpod.com/resources/ 
• CastJunkie Discord server https://discord.gg/zhqzDBR 
• Audio Drama Hub Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/AudioDramaHub/ 
• Twitter #AudioDramaSunday #AudioFictionSunday 
• Heyer Today, podcast https://heyertoday.libsyn.com/ 
• Sidequesting, podcast https://sidequesting.carrd.co/