Within the Wires

Fandom
Name:	Within the Wires
Abbreviation(s):	wtw
Creator:	Jeffrey Cranor and Janina Matthewson
Date(s):	June 21, 2016 – present
Medium:	Podcast, novel
Country of Origin:
External Links:	Official Site, RRS Feed
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Within the Wires is an anthology podcast in the style of epistolary fiction. The series takes place in an alternate universe, and each season tells a standalone story with a different narrator and timeline, but the stories often overlap in meaningful ways. The show is known for its cast that consists of mostly women, and many of the main pairings are f/f.

The Podcast

Each season consists of ten episodes, with the exception of Season Two, which has a bonus prequel episode.

Season One "Relaxation Cassettes" (narrated by Janina Matthewson) is told through a series of body relaxation tapes issued by The Institute, as a deeper story unfolds. The season is narrated by Hester Wells, with Oleta as the intended listeners in-universe.

Season Two "Museum Audio Tours" (narrated by Rima Te Wiata) is told through audio museum guides by Roimata Mangakāhia, an artist and scholar, which hides the story of the disappearance of famous artist Claudia Atieno. Each episode features a different guest actor, who gives an introduction as a curator. The last episode of the season ties into the Season One, as Hester is the narrator.

Season Three "Dictation" (narrated by Lee LeBreton) is told through dictated letters and notes from Michael Witten, a bureaucrat, to his secretary. It is described as "a political thriller set in 1950s Chicago", but the story also follows Michael and his wife, Vivienne, as she becomes a child-bearer. Michael's secretary for most of the season is Amy.

Season Four "The Cradle" (narrated by Mona Grenne) is told through recorded letters from Freya to her daughter Sigrid and sermons to the family-centric commune they lead.

Season Five "Voicemail" (narrated by Amiera Darwish) is told through voice mail messages in reverse chronological order and follows the romantic relationship of Indra and Nan/Gwen Nettles. Nan is narrated by Norma Butikofer.

Season Six "Caregiver" is told through audio medical journals by a live-in carer and is described as a ghost story.

Season Seven "Scavenger Hunt" (narrated by April Ortiz) is told through recorded cassettes that sets Anita on an adventure where she learns about her mother.

Additionally, there is a season "Black Box" (narrated by Jeffrey Cranor) that is released four times a year on the show's Patreon. It takes place between Season One and Season Two and is told through The Pilot's recordings done by automatic black box recording system on planes.

Music in the show is by Mary Epworth.

Transcripts of all the episodes are uploaded on the show's Patreon. Unfortunately, the transcripts for the earlier seasons are not always accurate due to them posting the shooting script rather than a proper transcript. This indirectly resulted in more lore regarding some of the earlier seasons, as some writing was not taken out, leaving the transcripts with extra information than the official episode will give. However, the wikia does edit and repost the transcripts on the site, and also notes any changes that were made from the transcript released on Patreon.

The Novel

You Feel It Just Below the Ribs is a novel set in the universe and was published on November 16, 2021. It is written by Jeffrey Cranor and Janina Matthewson. The novel is formatted as an autobiography in the alternate twentieth century.

The Fandom

Fan Activities & Works

Within the Wires Major Arcana Project

This fan community project started in January 2020, prior to the fifth season. It originated on the Within the Wires discord fans discussing tarot cards, eventually deciding to create the 22 Within the Wires-themed major arcana cards.

In September 2020, the project was extended to include a guided audio tour of the deck, along the lines of Season Two and its format of museum audio guides.

https://wtwcommunity.tumblr.com/

Characters and Pairings

Season One: Hester Wells, Oleta, Nell, Hester/Oleta

Season Two: Roimata Mangakāhia, Claudia Atieno, Roimata/Claudia

Season Three: Michael Witten, Amy, Vivienne Witten, Vishwathi Ramadoss, Michael/Vivienne

Season Four: Freya, Sigrid

Season Five: Indra, Nan, Chunhua, Indra/Nan, Indra/Chunhua, Indra/Helen

External Links

• Official site
• Official Twitter feed
• Within the Wires Patreon
• Within the Wires on Archive of Our Own
• Within the Wires wikia
• Within the Wires subreddit