Thirst Aid Kit

Every so often, the thirst stars align, or the thirst goddesses smile down on us, or whatever you want to call it... and well, it all came together for us this week. We manifested a long held TAK desire — we got to interview Jake Johnson! ::scream:: He told us about his new adult animated show Hoops, working on Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse, and why he thinks the pandemic has affected the way people see Nick Miller. (Please forgive the occasional echo that comes up—we’re all tech-wrangling in a pandemic!) In Slate Plus, we spoke to a few of our very favourite writers of romance and romantic comedy novels — Rebekah Weatherspoon, Alisha Rai, Mhairi McFarlane, Jasmine Guillory, and Alyssa Cole — and asked them three burning questions about romance world building, meet-cutes, fave tropes, and how the pandemic is changing the way they write. As usual, you can follow us on Twitter @ThirstAidKit. Our music is by Tanya Morgan. You can find show notes, and more on our Tumblr at thirstaidkitpodcast.tumblr.com. Don’t forget to send us your drabbles by emailing thirstaidkit@slate.com.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’ve long talked about our love for romance novels and in this episode we are going deep: talking about the changing aesthetics of romance novels, the increased visibility of our favourite tropes and sub-genres, and the heroes and heroines that we love to see. In our Plus segment, we take begrudging inspiration from our times and look at how movies have treated love at a distance. The Truth About Cats and Dogs, 40 Days and 40 Nights, and The Age of Innocence all keep our main couples apart somehow and yet they manage to find ways to ease the physical ache of love and attraction.  As usual, you can follow us on Twitter @ThirstAidKit. Our music is by Tanya Morgan. You can find show notes, and more on our Tumblr at thirstaidkitpodcast.tumblr.com. Don’t forget to send us your drabbles by emailing thirstaidkit@slate.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s never a bad move to hear from our thirsty yet oh-so-talented Thirst Buckets! Our audience is the best audience because they send us drabbles that make us swoon and giggle and we immediately put them aside so we can share the wealth on air. That’s what we’re doing with this episode— sharing listener-submitted drabbles about John Boyega, Aidan Turner, Pedro Pascal, Andy Samberg, and Seth Rogen. We also answer some questions from Tumblr and a couple of Thirst Sommelier requests. One listener needs someone with a Lin-Manuel Miranda vibe and someone else wants to replace Terry Crews on her thirst mood board. Luckily, we have a few suggestions we think will make everyone happy.  In our Slate Plus segment, we break down quarantine beards: yay or nay?  As usual, you can follow us on Twitter @ThirstAidKit. Our music is by Tanya Morgan. You can find show notes, and more on our Tumblr at thirstaidkitpodcast.tumblr.com. Don’t forget to send us your drabbles by emailing thirstaidkit@slate.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s Bim’s turn to delve into the roots of her thirst habits — and naturally, it turned out to be a journey through TV and film! Watching Tevin Campbell sing to Ashley on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and falling in love with Dwayne Wayne on A Different World led naturally to a love for Capeside’s finest, Pacey Witter… and also the Blue Moon Agency’s David Addison (Bruce Willis). We also trace Bim’s love for a Strong Nose to David Duchovny (Red Shoe Diaries) and ER’s Dr Luka Kovac (Goran Višnjić). Thirst is complex, y’all. In our Plus segment, we take a look at some of the cliche ‘sexy time’ tropes in film and TV and why they work (or not): the wanton clearing of a desk (hello, Friends and also The Good Wife); the full-bodied slam against the wall/bookcase (Atonement, Always Be My Maybe, The Night Manager) and why we do NOT fool around with food. Join Slate Plus to find out why! Slate.com/thirstaidplus As usual, you can follow us on Twitter @ThirstAidKit. Our music is by Tanya Morgan. You can find show notes, and more on our Tumblr at thirstaidkitpodcast.tumblr.com. Don’t forget to send us your drabbles by emailing thirstaidkit@slate.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re joined this week by Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman of the wildly popular podcast Call Your Girlfriend. We giggle over Tunde Adebimpe, Peter Dinklage, and Stanley Tucci before we discuss Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close, the book that looks at Ann and Aminatou’s friendship. This episode will make you laugh and think and hopefully, reach out to your friends for no reason at all.  In our Thirst Aid Kit Plus segment this week, we put the microscope to Nichole’s drabbles to find out why she keeps men on their knees so much!  As usual, you can follow us on Twitter @ThirstAidKit. Our music is by Tanya Morgan. You can find show notes, and more on our Tumblr at thirstaidkitpodcast.tumblr.com. Don’t forget to send us your drabbles by emailing thirstaidkit@slate.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We talk about formative crushes A LOT of the show, so we decided to do a little digging… Who, exactly, was the first person to indoctrinate Nichole into the ways of long hair? Why does she seem to like a french fry of a man? Who sparked her love of wide mouths and thick eyebrows? All are questions only Prince, Al B. Sure! and Maxwell can answer… hopefully in falsetto.  In our Plus segment, we take a look at the music from pop culture that marked us. We can never forget songs from Something New, Love and Basketball, Misfits, The Best Man, Cruel Intentions, or Mrs. Fletcher. Join Slate Plus to find out why! Slate.com/thirstaidplus As usual, you can follow us on Twitter @ThirstAidKit. Our music is by Tanya Morgan. You can find show notes, and more on our Tumblr at thirstaidkitpodcast.tumblr.com. Don’t forget to send us your drabbles by emailing thirstaidkit@slate.com.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every movie we watch can’t be a part of the Criterion Collection, okay? Sometimes you have to suffer through a movie to gorge yourself on eye candy and that’s perfectly fine! Michele Morrone in 365 Days, Brad Pitt in Troy, Alexander Skarsgård and Djimon Hounsou in The Legend of Tarzan make the suffering worth it. Maybe?  For our Slate Plus segment, we put Bim on the Thirst Therapy couch to get to the root of why domesticity is so important in her drabbles.  As usual, you can follow us on Twitter @ThirstAidKit. Nichole is @tnwhiskeywoman and Bim is @bimadew. Our music is by Tanya Morgan. You can find show notes, and more on our Tumblr at thirstaidkitpodcast.tumblr.com. Don’t forget to send us your drabbles by emailing thirstaidkit@slate.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We always had an eye on John Boyega, but for a slew of reasons conditions never quite felt… right. Until now. Now we want to talk about how he’s grown his hair, has been unburdened by a Disney contract, and is finally experiencing the kind of glow up that comes with learning from your mistakes and being given room to grow into your Yoruba destiny.  Plus! Fanfic Wars makes its triumphant post-hiatus return, and Nichole’s entry is a straight up murder attempt. Damn. In our Thirst Ais Kit Plus segment this week, we’re talking about a ‘One Time Fancy’ and this time it’s… Kumail Nanjiani. We saw The Lovebirds on Netflix, and now we kinda… sorta… almost? fancy him. It’s a confusing time, y’all. As usual, you can follow us on Twitter @ThirstAidKit. Our music is by Tanya Morgan. You can find show notes, and more on our Tumblr at thirstaidkitpodcast.tumblr.com. Don’t forget to send us your drabbles by emailing thirstaidkit@slate.com.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Mantzoukas? In the virtual Thirst studio? We did it for you! We decided to come back with a bang, and there’s none bangier than Mr M. Let’s see. We discovered Jason’s love for romcoms, dogs, and … Bim! Is this the start of something beautiful? Listen to find out.  Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on Thirst Aid Kit each week. Sign up now to listen and support our show. In this week’s Slate Plus segment, we were inspired by the dichotomy of Jason Mantzoukas’ incredibly organized closet and the wild characters he often plays to think about our fave buttoned-up men on TV — Inspector Murdoch (Murdoch Mysteries), Rick Grimes (The Walking Dead)—and how they only really let loose in front of the people they love. Our music is by Tanya Morgan. You can find show notes, gifs, and so much more on our Tumblr at thirstaidkitpodcast.tumblr.com. Remember, you can send us your own (short) drabbles by emailing thirstaidkit@slate.com.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re going on hiatus! But before we go…we spend a little time with our favorite TV couples from our quarantine binge rewatches… you know, the ones that make us blush or sigh or yearn. So shoutout to Leslie and Ben from Parks & Rec, the original nerdy love match as well as Ruby and Stan from Good Girls, the couple that makes major sacrifices for their family. And from New Girl, a twofer: Nick & Jess, of course, but also Schmidt and Cece, whose love affair was perfectly breadcrumbed across seasons. Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on Thirst Aid Kit each week. Sign up now to listen and support our show. In this week’s Slate Plus, it’s the TRIUMPHANT return of dear friend of the show, Gena-mour Barrett (@smilegena). She’s filthy and hilarious and so we brought her back to talk a little more about the animated characters she thinks are hot: Thanos (WHY, GENA!), and Guy, the “dark-skinned bison” from BoJack Horseman. Plus, we give her a new toon-boo to lust after too. Follow us on Twitter @ThirstAidKit. Our music is by Tanya Morgan. You can find show notes, gifs and so much more on our Tumblr at thirstaidkitpodcast.tumblr.com. You can send us your own (short) drabbles or adoring fanmail at thirstaidkit@slate.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For a long time, it’s felt like superpowers only went to lantern-jawed white men… but if we urge you to consider two up-and-coming Thirst Objects: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II — who started his comic book adaptation career as a villain in Aquaman before donning the blue paint of Watchmen’s Dr Manhattan — and Simu Liu, who went from Toronto car rental outfit in Kim’s Convenience to “master of kung fu” Shang-Chi in the upcoming Marvel movie. Sure, representation matters etc but it’s important to note that these two are tall drinks of water and we want several sips. Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on Thirst Aid Kit each week. Sign up now to listen and support our show. In this week’s Slate Plus, we’re joined by multi-hyphenate award-winning author and editor Roxane Gay, tackling Channing Tatum in ‘Explain Yourself’... Roxane is working on a couple projects with Channing, and the thing is, we’re already kinda onboard, so it’s more of a ‘tell us more” than “tell us why.” It’s a good time. Follow us on Twitter @ThirstAidKit. Our music is by Tanya Morgan. You can find show notes, gifs and so much more on our Tumblr at thirstaidkitpodcast.tumblr.com. Remember, you can send us your own (short) drabbles by emailing thirstaidkit@slate.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shazad Latif and Manny Montana have paid their dues and it’s time to give them the recognition they deserve. From Spooks to Penny Dreadful to Star Trek: Discovery, Shazad has shown he has the range. But it’s as Ash Tyler that his vulnerability and yearning leave us utterly captivated. Manny Montana has been working his way to Good Girls since 2008, and his character Rio is worth the wait. Manny makes Rio vibrate with barely-controlled passion, keeping us on the edge of our seats. Yes, Shazad and Manny are thirst-worthy, but they’re both incredibly talented as well, and we’re ready to watch their stars rise.  Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on Thirst Aid Kit each week. Sign up now to listen and support our show. In this week’s Slate Plus, Bim leads “Explain Yourself,” as she tries to convince Nichole, notorious for her love of a long-haired man, to give sexy bald men a chance. With such compelling evidence as Boris Khodjoe, Sir Patrick Stewart, Corey Stoll, and more, can Bim win her case? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’ve all been sheltering in place for some time now, which has given us ample time to think about who our ideal quarantine buddies would be. Who would our Thirst Buckets like to be holed up with in a cabin made for two? The Thirst Object field was diverse: constant TB-favourite Tessa Thompson came up, as did Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Golding, Westworld’s Rodrigo Santoro, and even Jidenna’s sweet musical stylings (among other things)... No drabbles this week but Nichole and Bim also revealed their own choices for optimal quarantine activities. A fun time is had by all! In this week’s Slate Plus, we draw your attention to men’s forearms aka the modern equivalent of a delicate Victorian ankle — is there a body part more laden with meaning? A revealed forearm, tanned, hairy, lightly-veined and solid… it does things to a person, you know? Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on Thirst Aid Kit each week. Sign up now to listen and support our show. Follow us on Twitter @ThirstAidKit. Our music is by Tanya Morgan. You can find show notes, gifs and so much more on our Tumblr at thirstaidkitpodcast.tumblr.com. Remember, you can send us your own (short) drabbles by emailing thirstaidkit@slate.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Maddie and David. Will and Alicia. Ichabod and Abbie. Brennan and Booth. Moonlighting, The Good Wife, Sleepy Hollow, and Bones all showed us the magic of UST-- unresolved sexual tension. In most of these examples, we got the kissing (and more) we’d been craving, and these television shows knew how to string us along until we thought we’d die from longing. That’s the hallmark of a job well done-- transferring the desire of a show’s leading couple to its audiences. In this episode dedicated to ultimate UST, we talk about what works and what doesn’t; what happens when the resolution is everything we could want… and when we’re denied.  Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on Thirst Aid Kit each week. Sign up now to listen and support our show. In this week’s Slate Plus, it’s Nichole’s turn in the court of ‘Explain Yourself’. She breaks down her attraction to Irish crooner Hozier, but Bim is a hard juror to convince.  Follow us on Twitter @ThirstAidKit. Our music is by Tanya Morgan. You can find show notes, gifs and so much more on our Tumblr at thirstaidkitpodcast.tumblr.com. Remember, you can send us your own (short) drabbles by emailing thirstaidkit@slate.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

‘Thirst In The Covid-19 Era’ could well be the title of this episode or an academic paper in the year 2050 — but we’re not doing that! No, we decided to dip into our inbox to take on some of the burning thirst queries from our wonderful listeners. It was a mailbag of… many tastes. Drabbles about musicians Raphael Saadiq and Hozier, Large Boy Adam Driver, and Lee Pace on a farm? Plus we did our best to provide alternative thirsts in a bumper Thirst Sommelier segment that covered tastes as diverse as Magnum PI and 90s era Ralph Fiennes. YOU’RE WELCOME. Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on Thirst Aid Kit each week. Sign up now to listen and support our show. In this week’s Slate Plus segment, we break down A Clean Plate, that is the significance of a man’s appetite in popular culture. From Cool Hand Luke to Phantom Thread, what does a man’s hunger tell us, if anything, about the type of person he is? Follow us on Twitter @ThirstAidKit. Our music is by Tanya Morgan. You can find show notes, gifs and so much more on our Tumblr at thirstaidkitpodcast.tumblr.com. Remember, you can send us your own (short) drabbles by emailing thirstaidkit@slate.com.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices