005: to all our astrology girlies / we lava you
in this episode, nins finds affirmation through TikTok astrologer Meghan Rose's (@the_meghanrose) love letters to the zodiac signs. arns is touched by Pixar short "Lava" and the idea of patience as an act of love.
referenced in this episode:
astrologer Meghan Rose's "love letter to the signs" series
Pixar short "Lava" - James Ford Murphy interviews on Cineplex, Sneak Peek, Ruby Hornet, & KHON2 News
0:00 - intro
8:06 - nins: astrologer Meghan Rose
26:06 - arns: Pixar short "Lava"
episode summary
introduction
Welcome back to brb crying! Hosts Nins & Arns hosts kick off by reintroducing their podcast's premise for any new crybabies joining in: "we just pretty much cry, talk about why, and that's it."
Arns and Nins officially released their first episode to the world (!!!!). So much anxiety??? and anticipation??? But above all—they have tremendous gratitude for all the support from friends, family, and their friends and family. Can you believe they have more than 3 listeners (themselves and Nins’ husband Lu)???
Our hosts introduce for the first time a new segment called sob stories. For their first ever lil sob story, they share a touching submission from a listener and dear friend who, at the time of writing, was 14 weeks pregnant. The listener writes that she cries at everything, but especially when she hugs her parents—she’s about to become a mom, but she still feels very much like a child herself in need of her parents. brb crying!!!
Nins is lightweight shocked at the responses they've received in just the first 24 hours since releasing episde 001. She's floored that the act of listening to her and Arns bullshit for 36 minutes has inspired listeners to tap into their own emotions and share their experiences.
Arns admits her surprise at people actually crying while listening to the podcast—she had joked about this happening (“you better cry or else!!!”) but didn't genuinely expect it to happen. Nins adds that the crying is a byproduct of the emotional work listeners are doing. Bravo, crybabies.
Both hosts are so excited to be building connections with listeners. They hope that everyone feels at home listening to this silly lil podcast, emphasizing the sense of community they're striving to create in everything they do.
Nins’ segment: Meghan Rose Astrologer (3/10 tears)
Today, Nins takes listeners on a celestial journey through astrology, guided by the luminous words of TikTok astrologer Meghan Rose (@the_meghanrose). Nins weaves together for an enraptured audience some personal reflection, astrological insight, and the profound power of feeling truly seen.
nins pictured below the title: "the power of feeling seen through astrology".
Nins begins by acknowledging the resurgence of interest in astrology, both in her friend group and among the interwebs. Gone are the days of flipping to the back of Seventeen magazine for a vague horoscope (“You might fall in love this month!”); now, armed with birth dates, times, and locations, one can uncover an alarmingly comprehensive astrological profile. Who needs identity theft when you can rattle off someone’s astrological placements??
Nins shares her own celestial blueprint—a Cap Sun, Cancer Moon, and Virgo Rising—succinctly describing herself as "a goal-oriented perfectionist who gets in her feels constantly." Honestly, ya. Well done.
(She then prompts Arns to describe herself in a sentence—Virgo Sun, Cancer Moon, Leo Rising—to which Arns says, “I’m uptight, I cry, and I love attention.” Again: not wrong!)
After a smidge of c-c-c-context, Nins introduces Meghan Rose, a writer and astrologer for Glamour magazine who has captured Nins' attention through the algorithmic magic of TikTok. Meghan Rose's 12-part video series, featuring "love letters" to each zodiac sign, serves as the centerpiece of Nins’ tears. These are not your painfully generalized, stereotypical astrological descriptions; Meghan has a gift for illuminating the quieter, more nuanced traits of each sign, peering past the armor we all wear to our tender hearts beneath.
As our hosts watch Meghan’s love letter to Capricorn, the atmosphere shifts. Nins finds herself deeply moved by the Capricorn description, particularly the line about planning perfect celebrations for loved ones. It's a moment of recognition that brings a lump to her throat—here, finally, is someone who sees Nins’ Capricorn-esque obsessive planning and desire for perfection and is able to feel the love beneath it all.
Together, they watch Meghan’s love letter to Virgo. Taking in her poignant words, Arns is a lil shook because there was one line in that perfectly encapsulates her own segment. The synchronicity is off the charts today, babes!!!
Nins wants to “walk the walk” and practice helping others feel seen, so she reveals her own attempt at how Arns makes her feel. She shares, “Arns is the feeling of when you take off a full face of makeup and realize that you're still beautiful without it.” Through sniffles, Arns manages, “I feel attacked.” (At this point, both hosts are in tears—“just two idiots crying”, as Nins so gently puts it.) The rawness of their emotion is palpable, a testament to the power of feeling truly seen and appreciated.
it feels so good to be appreciated, to feel seen. and i don’t know why—but there is a hesitancy for us to express our love and gratitude so openly with others. but why? when we know how good it feels?
-nins, brb crying ep 005
Throughout the episode, Nins deftly weaves in broader themes about personality assessments and the value of self-understanding. She presents astrology not as an infallible science, but as one of many tools for fostering connection and self-awareness. It's a nuanced take that acknowledges skepticism while championing open-mindedness to the great beyond.
As the segment draws to a close, Nins issues a gentle challenge to listeners: be more vocal in showing appreciation for others. She reflects on the hesitancy we often feel in expressing gratitude, questioning why we hold back when the impact can be so profound. Like what she just did when sharing how Arns makes her feel—why don’t we do that more often??? It's such a simple yet powerful act when we choose to acknowledge the light in others.
Nins closes her segment with a heartfelt thank you to Meghan Rose for her insightful series and an invitation for listeners to explore Meghan’s videos for themselves. Nins' genuine enthusiasm for Meghan’s work, coupled with her willingness to share her own emotional journey, creates a touching exploration of friendship, self-discovery, and the universal desire to be understood.
In the end, maybe it’s less about the mechanics of astrology itself and more about the human connection it can foster. All it takes is a few well-chosen words to make someone feel seen, appreciated, and slightly less alone in the vast cosmos of human experience.
Arns’ segment: Pixar short “Lava”
Today, Arns delves into the Pixar short "Lava”—a tale of two volcanoes that unexpectedly becomes a profound meditation on love, patience, and the power of belief. The segment journeys through both the short film and Arns' emotional response to it, weaving together the intricacies of the animation, some c-c-c-context behind the creation of the short, and a dash of personal reflections on love and patience.
arns gazing upward beneath the title: "waiting for love; waiting is love".
Arns begins by introducing "Lava," the short that preceded Pixar's "Inside Out" in 2015. She shares that initial viewing experience was a solid 8/10 tears (thank g she was home alone because the tears were fast and furious). Arns then introduces the short's creator, James Ford Murphy, a YT man whose love for Hawai’i inspired the story. While Arns acknowledges the cultural appropriation at play, she admits that it doesn’t necessarily diminish her emotional response (tears don't discriminate ok!!).
The heart of the segment revolves around the short's plot and its accompanying song. Arns describes the lonely volcano, Uku, singing his heart out in hopes of finding love, unaware that another volcano, Lele, listens beneath the waves. As Uku faces extinction, Lele emerges, but their backs are turned. In a poignant twist, Lele sings for them both when Uku can no longer voice his longing.
Arns explores the technical challenges of animating volcanoes as characters and the careful selection of Hawaiian vocalists Kuana Torres Kahele and Napua Greig. The song is a crier (obvi), but beyond the beautifully simple lyrics and melody, the music’s pacing and performers’ rich voices take the emotional depth of the song to new heights.
While the Murphy describes “Lava” as a story about the patience of love, Arns begs to differ. For her, it's more about patience as an act of love itself. She muses on the power of persistent hope and the importance of having someone believe in you when you simply can't believe in yourself anymore.
it's more than just waiting patiently for love to find you—it's more patience as an act of love.
-arns, brb crying ep 005
At this point, Arns recalls that there was a line in Meghan Rose’s love letter to Virgos that captured this “Lava” segment: “It's reading a book or watching a movie and understanding that—even in the darkest period of your life, when you felt more alone than you could have thought that you could hold—that somebody else was going through the same thing and you were never really alone to begin with.”
Nins is surprised to find that she related “Lava” to an entirely different line of Meghan Rose’s love letter to Virgos: “It's accomplishing something that's really important to you and having someone else celebrate it even bigger and better than you could have celebrated yourself.” Sorry, can we just pause to acknowledge that this podcast is really fucking great?? Like it’s too much sometimes.
In the end, this segment transcends a cute lil review of a Pixar short. It’s a meditation on the many faces of love (which brings us back to artist Anna Laura’s take on love being presented in so many different forms), the power of persistence, and the incredible, sometimes volcanic (get it??), nature of human connection. Arns reminds us that sometimes, all it takes is a dope ass singing volcano to help us realize the depth of our own capacity for love.
Conclusion
They fucking did it. Again! Our girlies cried a LOT this ep (and honestly kinda killed it with the synchronicities—that’s what being bffs for 20+ years will do to you).
Nins and Arns thank their listeners for tuning in and encourage them to share their sob stories via the website or hello@brbcryingpodcast.com. They know listeners are sad to hear them go, but rest assured—they’ll be back. Every week, they’re going to be better and better. They’re going to cry harder and harder. To the point where they’re sobbing so hard, you can’t even understand them.
Until then…brb crying :’)