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Episodes
Authors J.A. Ironside and M.E. Vaughan talk about books, films and all aspects of speculative fiction, from the nuts and bolts of writing it, to its (occasionally) obscure origins.
Episodes
Thursday Jun 06, 2019
Thursday Jun 06, 2019
Episode 173: Endgame - The Legacy of the MCU
SPOILER ALERT!
For over a decade, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been catering to our superhero movie cravings, resulting in a huge, expanded universe, 21 interlinking films, multiple povs on the same universe and some of the cinematic high points of the last ten years. The recent release of Endgame has seen the passing of the torch in many ways. Whatever you think of the MCU, and there are probably few people with unmixed feelings, it has to be acknowledged that turning out 21 films in various styles of the genre without ever breaking the streak that these are all highly character driven pieces, and then fitting them all together is a huge achievement. The week, Jules and Madeleine start with Endgame and look back via character arcs at the journeys the Marvel superheros have taken - the good, the bad, the ugly...and the decidedly weird.
This is a very SPOILERY episode. We talk endings for almost every Marvel film, including Endgame and Captain Marvel. Consider this fair warning!
If you're still game, join us too celebrate, discuss and critique the MCU.
Title Music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday May 31, 2019
Friday May 31, 2019
Episode 172: Crowning Glory - The Significance of Hair in Myth and Speculative Fiction
This may seem a little out of left field but fear not, this isn't the advent of a series of podcast episodes on random body parts! It just so happens that hair is specifically featured in a long list of old wives tales, folk tales and fairy stories, not to mention myths and biblical tales. From historical urban legend of Lady Godgifu to foolish Sampson falling asleep next to Delilah, hair has far more significance in stories than you'd think strands of dead protein would really warrant. The dragons decided to have a look at why. Join Jules and Madeleine as they get thoroughly entangled in myth and folklore in an effort to track this trend to its roots.
Title Music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday May 24, 2019
Friday May 24, 2019
Episode 171: Inner Landscapes - The Transformative Character Arc in Speculative Fiction
Most characters in fiction are not the same people by the end of the story that they were at the beginning. This change can be subtle or overt, lauded with much physical action or conversely almost entirely something that happens within the characters own mind. While there are examples - usually series of books - whereby the character changes very little, for the most part the plot hinges on a character's journey from the person they were to the person they have become. Different types of media tend to favour different types of character arc, which is all well and good, except that we are being trained to only recognise a character journey that fits a rather narrow set of parameters. So this week the dragons delve into different transformative arcs and how they can be used - singly, in conjunction and juxtaposed to each other. On the slab this week - Captain Marvel, The Matrix, Inkmistress by Audrey Coulthurst and many more.
Title Music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday May 17, 2019
Friday May 17, 2019
Episode 170: Maps, Footnotes and Dedications - When Authors go the Extra Mile
It occurred to Jules and Madeleine that while they talk about books a lot, they've never discussed the book as a physical object, and many books are works of art even before you delve into the contents. To rectify this shortfall, this week the dragons will be looking at what makes a book art as well as all the little extras and supplementary materials many authors give their readers. From footnotes to character lists to pronunciation guides and special editions, this episode is about the ways that author's connect with their readers and make their books stand out.
Title Music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday May 10, 2019
Friday May 10, 2019
Episode 169: Sly, Cunning and Cuddly - Fantastic Foxes in Speculative Fiction
Whether you think of them as sneaky pests or as an endearing feature of British (and European) wildlife, the red fox has an interesting history as a character in folklore. Foxes in general crop up in folklore, folk songs, myths and legends all over the world, and this in turn has fed into our speculative fiction, almost without us realising it. Foxes form part of the trickster archetype, making them both likeable and somewhat sinister. This week the dragons look at the Fox in folklore and speculative fiction. From Reynadine to the kitsune, from Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr Fox to Disney's Nick Wilde, we've got you covered.
Title Music; Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday May 03, 2019
Friday May 03, 2019
Episode 168: Woke is My Brand - The Trouble with Toxic Twitter
Social media has been a god send for so many people for a variety of different reasons - finding community, discovering support and aid, learning new skills, business and marketing. We can access audiences now that we didn't have a hope of reaching without serious publishing clout behind us twenty years ago. The flip side is that anyone can reach pretty much anyone, and there is no clear set of rules or laws or even customs that govern behaviour. Removing physical face to face and vocal interactions from the equation can lead to the worst aspects of human nature being put on display. And then there's the reading and writing community - dynamic, engaged, progressive...and occasionally prone to completely jumping the shark without always fact checking. This week the dragons swim in some very murky waters indeed as they puzzle out what for them are the really problematic aspects of social media engagement in the reading and writing community, and how we can all do something to make this a better place to interact. As writers, Jules and Madeleine are looking specifically through that lense and specifically at Twitter but much of what they discuss can apply to other circumstances on other platforms too.
Title Music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday Apr 26, 2019
Friday Apr 26, 2019
Episode 167: The Piper at the Gates of Dawn - Anthropomorphic Animals in Speculative Fiction
Animal MCs are a genre all of their own. These books exist for both children and adults, and never really go out of fashion in the SFF community. In these narratives if humans play a role at all, it is a marginal one and they do not provide the main conflict for the story, which is always between the animal characters themselves. This week Jules and Madeleine delve into the world of animal protagonists. What makes these stories so enduring? Why are animal MCs linked so often with political or religious satire in fiction? And what are the advantages of using anthropomorphised animals as main characters?
On the slab this week - The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graham, The Deptford Mice by Robin Jarvis, Redwall by Brian Jacques and many more.
Title Music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday Apr 19, 2019
Friday Apr 19, 2019
Episode 166: The Problem of Susan - Wayward Children in Fantasy Fiction
Who doesn't love, or at the very least grow up with, children's fantasy whereby a young protagonist was spirited away to another world? There are many examples of this type of fiction and the narrative is almost always one of the protagonist both helping with the problems of that other world but also getting back to their own world. As enchanting as many of these pieces of fiction are, there is a troubling subtext, especially in the older examples and especially in regards to female characters. This week the dragons take a look at these lost children who get found, and what that entails for both character development and potentially sending a message the author may not have intended. On the slap this week - The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S.Lewis, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie, Wayward Children by Seanan McGuire and many more.
Title Music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday Apr 12, 2019
Friday Apr 12, 2019
Episode 165: What We Really Want - The Tropes We Love in Speculative Fiction
The Dragons have always maintained that tropes are not bad in and of themselves, generally it's only how a trope is used that causes problems or makes a piece of Speculative Fiction cliche. They've also talked previously about how, despite this, there are some tropes which are harmful and need to die a fiery death. This week, Jules and Madeleine take a look at their personal favourite tropes - some of which are pretty bizarre and specific. Drawing on examples from film, TV and books, and running the gamut from fainting fevers to marriages of convenience, the dragons have got you covered. Tune in for a light hearted episode that will probably explain much about their own work.
Title Music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday Apr 05, 2019
Friday Apr 05, 2019
Episode 164: The Language of Flowers - Botanical Folklore in Myth and Speculative Fiction
Myth and folklore from all kinds of cultures and pantheons around the world, all contain stories about flowers and plants that are either imbued with strange and eldritch properties, or which have special religious or anthropomorphic significance. Greek myth, for example, is full of stories of people being turned into plants. European folksong, on the other hand, often contains a secondary or tertiary meaning if you look at the plants casually mentioned in the song. This week the dragons seek to decode a few of these myths and folksongs, looking at the surprising, poetic and often sinister language of flowers. On the slab this week - The Mabinogion's Tengedau of Arianrhod and the tale of Bloudewedd, the story of Krocus, Apollo and Hyacinth, Scarborough Fair and many more.
Title Music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic