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A while back, I wrote an article about the unintended consequences of various technologies from the Star Trek universe. I barely scratched the surface. A good number of the 700+ episodes (plus a bunch of movies) introduced powerful new tech without ever thinking about its … read more »
Character arcs form the heart of the story. They give audiences a reason to cheer a character on and add emotional depth to the plot. But not all characters arcs are equal. A good arc doesn’t just take a pauper and make her queen; it … read more »
Chris, Oren, and Mike discuss the way wildlife is portrayed in speculative fiction. Since they are never happy, they complain about both vilification and glorification of nature. Oren becomes scared of polar bears, Chris asks for happy swamps, and Mike wears out his welcome with … read more »
While Mike is away with a cough, Oren uses his perfectly objective viewpoint to declare which systems are superior to others. Jim praises games he can break with power combos, and Chris raves about mechanics that make GMs do all the work. They all share … read more »
Telling an egalitarian story means fighting back against a lifetime of cultural programming, not to mention systematic bias in production, publishing, and marketing. So even when we try to make our stories just, problems we haven’t noticed can sneak their way in. Graded on a … read more »
Character death is a tricky subject, whether in prose, roleplaying games, or television. Sometimes a character can pass before their time, especially if an actor’s contract expires or a critical hit goes the wrong way. On the other hand, the death of a beloved character … read more »
Chris, Mike, and Oren discuss the upsides and downsides of including non-humans in stories. They list their pet peeves with non-human races, and describe works with great or terrible depictions. Read more »
Dr. Brandon Kier joins Oren, Mike, and Chris in discussing scientific accuracy – or lack thereof – in popular stories. They speculate on whether scientific accuracy is important, describe stories and scenes with questionable science, and highlight how science and the scientific process is itself portrayed. Read more »
Main characters are great. Without them, we’d have no one to project ourselves onto. But have you ever read/watched/listened to/smelled a story and been more interested in one of the side characters? Maybe they’ve got a good sense of humor. Maybe their backstory really speaks … read more »
Grace joins Oren, Mike, and Chris in discussing how artificial personalities are gendered. They mention computer voices in use today and the explanations given for their gender. They describe female and male robots and AI in science fiction, and how their depiction differs. Read more »