Maya, and Ian are joined by Bryon to talk about the most famous playwright in the English language, William Shakespeare, and the impact his work has had on writing, literature, and the English language. You can find Bryon's latest project, "War Machines", on AO3 here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54075940/chapters/140705587 If you like our wor…

Maya, Dylan, and Ian are joined by Shoober to talk about the relatively recent rise of livestreaming as a form of popular entertainment. If you like our work, please let us know! You can write to us at fanfictapes@gmail.com or reach out to us on Twitter @TheFanfictionTapes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

Maya, Dylan, and Ian are joined by Barry once again for a dive into the world of professional wrestling. If you like our work, please let us know! You can write to us at fanfictapes@gmail.com or reach out to us on Twitter @TheFanfictionTapes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

Maya, Dylan, and Ian are joined by Badger to talk about stories revolving around sports. If you like our work, please let us know! You can write to us at fanfictapes@gmail.com or reach out to us on Twitter @TheFanfictionTapes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Maya, Dylan, and Ian are joined by Cam for a surprisingly long trope talk about adaptations. If you like our work, please let us know! You can write to us at fanfictapes@gmail.com or reach out to us on Twitter @TheFanfictionTapes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Maya, Dylan, and Ian are joined by Riley to talk about the Oscar-nominated animated movie Nimona. If you like our work, please let us know! You can write to us at fanfictapes@gmail.com or reach out to us on Twitter @TheFanfictionTapes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dylan, Maya, and Ian are joined by Jaye to talk about Maya's favorite punching bag: J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series. What are her shortcomings as a writer and worldbuilder? If you like our work, please let us know! You can write to us at fanfictapes@gmail.com or reach out to us on Twitter @TheFanfictionTapes. Hosted on Acast. See ac…

Maya, Dylan, and Ian talk about some of our favorite authors' weaknesses. If you like our work, please let us know! You can write to us at fanfictapes@gmail.com or reach out to us on Twitter @TheFanfictionTapes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Maya, Dylan, and Ian are joined by Barry to talk about plans changing when you're writing. When should you make a change, and when should you avoid changing? You can find Barry on YouTube here, on social media here, and you can read his fics on AO3 here. If you like our work, please let us know! You can write to us at fanfictapes@gmail.com or reach…

Maya, Dylan, and Ian are joined by Steamed to talk about a small piece of original internet fiction: the superhero stories of the Synoverse. You can find the Synoverse on AO3 here. If you like our work, please let us know! You can write to us at fanfictapes@gmail.com or reach out to us on Twitter @TheFanfictionTapes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/…

Maya and Ian and joined by Elizabeth to talk about when you should just "file off the serials" and turn your fanfic into original work. You can find Elizabeth's fan music and original songs on Youtube here, and her AO3 page is here. If you like our work, please let us know! You can write to us at fanfictapes@gmail.com or reach out to us on Twitter …

Maya, Dylan, and Ian are joined once again by Bryon to talk about shipping. What are common ships and rarepairs? Why do we write ships, especially the rare ones? What is the deal with "avatar-sexuals"? If you like our work, please let us know! You can write to us at fanfictapes@gmail.com or reach out to us on Twitter @TheFanfictionTapes. Hosted on …

Maya and Ian are joined once again by Cam to talk about AUs and why we as fans love them so much. If you want more of Cam you can find them on Tiktok, on Twitter, and on their podcast Hey, Besties, It's Cam (from the Internet). If you like our work, please let us know! You can write to us at fanfictapes@gmail.com or reach out to us on Twitter @TheF…

Maya, Dylan, and Ian turn the spotlight on the hit animated series Arcane. If you like our work, please let us know! You can write to us at fanfictapes@gmail.com or reach out to us on Twitter @TheFanfictionTapes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Maya, Dylan, and Ian are joined by Jaye to talk about Magic: the Gathering's "color pie" philosophy, and how you can use it in your writing to help develop your characters, their values, and even their conflicts. The "Two Color Paladins" post referenced in the episode can be found here: https://www.tumblr.com/asteroidtroglodyte/721259610356547584/a…

Maya, Dylan, and Ian discuss character design—not necessarily in terms of how they look, but in how you can give them a distinct and coherent personality. If you like our work, please let us know! You can write to us at fanfictapes@gmail.com or reach out to us on Twitter @TheFanfictionTapes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informati…

The Fanfiction Tapes is back for season 3! On this episode, Maya and Ian are joined by Riley to talk about the importance of diversity in your characters. You can find Riley's work at https://www.rileyquinnthefool.com/. If you like our work, please let us know! You can write to us at fanfictapes@gmail.com or reach out to us on Twitter @TheFanfictio…

On this, our final episode of season 2, Ian is taking over the show to introduce Maya to the first book series to hijack his brain: Animorphs. The Fanfiction Tapes will return January 2024! Until then, if you like our work, please let us know. You can write to us at fanfictapes@gmail.com or reach out to us on Twitter @TheFanfictionTapes. Hosted on …

Maya, Dylan, and Ian are joined by Michael to talk about the trope of Dramatic Irony. What is dramatic irony, and how can you use it in your own writing? If you like our work, please let us know! You can write to us at fanfictapes@gmail.com or reach out to us on Twitter @TheFanfictionTapes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informatio…

Maya, Dylan, and Ian are joined by Wolf to talk about tragic heroes. Does a character have to be the main character to be a tragic hero? Do they even have to be heroic? You can listen to Wolf's other podcasts, the Berkcast and the Outcast, here: https://www.youtube.com/@berkcast4401 If you like our work, please let us know! You can write to us at f…

Dylan, and Ian are joined by Helena (@a_mellowtea on Twitter, edelweiss on Discord) to talk about the genre of Tragedy, from the Classical Greek works like Oedipus and Antigone, through Shakespeare's Macbeth, to modern tragedies like Revenge of the Sith and Arcane. If you like our work, please let us know! You can write to us at fanfictapes@gmail.c…

Maya and Ian are joined by Nat to talk about tragedy, drama, and angst, and how these three similar-feeling concepts overlap and differ. You can find Nat’s works on AO3 here. If you like our work, please let us know! You can write to us at fanfictapes@gmail.com or reach out to us on Twitter @TheFanfictionTapes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privac…

Today Maya and Ian lose their gourds over What Moves the Dead, a novella by T. Kingfisher retelling the gothic horror classic short story The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe in a more grounded and queer fashion. If you like our work, please let us know! You can write to us at fanfictapes@gmail.com or reach out to us on Twitter @TheFan…

Maya and Ian are joined by returning guest Riley to discuss the genre of New Weird and the tropes associated with it. You can find Riley's book and other works at www.rileyquinnthefool.com. If you like our work, please let us know! You can write to us at fanfictapes@gmail.com or reach out to us on Twitter @TheFanfictionTapes. Hosted on Acast. See a…

ian and Dylan are joined by Barry (@greatness942) once again to talk about cosmic horror. What is cosmic horror? What inspired it's foundational author, H.P. Lovecraft? Does Steven King's IT count as cosmic horror? These questions and more are debated! If you like our work, please let us know! You can write to us at fanfictapes@gmail.com or reach o…

Maya, Dylan, and Ian are joined by Barry (@greatness942) once more to talk about Gothic Fiction, the godfather of much of modern genre fiction. Does this Romantic-period genre still hold up today? What advice do we have for anyone trying to write in this mode? Listen and find out! If you like our work, please let us know! You can write to us at fan…

Maya, Dylan, and Ian are joined by Barry to talk about the genre of Horror. If you like our work, please let us know! You can write to us at fanfictapes@gmail.com or reach out to us on Twitter @TheFanfictionTapes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Steamed is back to talk with Maya, Dylan, and Ian about concept of science fiction "hardness". What makes a work of sci-fi "hard", and can this idea be extended to other works within the larger speculative fiction umbrella? If you like our work, please let us know! You can write to us at fanfictapes@gmail.com or reach out to us on Twitter @TheFanfi…

Maya and Ian are joined once more by Elizabeth to talk about the various "punk" subgenres of sci-fi and speculative fiction: cyberpunk, steampunk, solarpunk, hopepunk... Where does the "punk" come from? What makes these genres "punk" - or not so punk as the case may be? Check out Elizabeth's music: https://www.youtube.com/@agogobell28 If you like o…

Maya, Dylan, and Ian are joined by returning guest Steamed to talk about the sci-fi subgenre of military sci-fi. If you like our work, please let us know! You can write to us at fanfictapes@gmail.com or reach out to us on Twitter @TheFanfictionTapes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

For our first episode of Science Fiction Month, Maya, Dylan, and Ian are joined by Cam to talk about sci-fi and speculative fiction. What's the difference? Cam will explain at length! You can direct your further questions to Cam on tiktok at @hellocameo. If you like our work, please let us know! You can write to us at fanfictapes@gmail.com or reach…

For our final episode in Fantasy Month, Maya, Dylan, and Ian are joined by wifld to talk about the trope called "All Myths Are True", and how it's used both well and poorly in the Fantasy genre. If you like our work, please let us know! You can write to us at fanfictapes@gmail.com or reach out to us on Twitter @TheFanfictionTapes. Hosted on Acast. …

On our third episode of Fantasy Month, Dyland and Ian are joined by Wolf to talk about Portal Fantasy and Isekai. What's the difference between the two? Is Truck-Kun overhyped? These questions and more! If you like our work, please let us know! You can write to us at fanfictapes@gmail.com or reach out to us on Twitter @TheFanfictionTapes. Hosted on…

Continuing our month on Fantasy, Maya and Ian are joined by guests Vesper and Jygg to discuss subgenres of Fantasy. What is the difference between High Fantasy and Low Fantasy? Where does The Witcher fall? These questions and more are discussed! If you like our work, please let us know! You can write to us at fanfictapes@gmail.com or reach out to u…

In this first episode of our Fantasy Month, Maya, Dylan, and Ian are joined by Sun to talk about the genre of Fantasy. What distinguishes Fantasy from other speculative fiction genres like Science Fiction? What distinguishes Urban Fantasy, High Fantasy, or Low Fantasy? What are some of our favorite Fantasy works? All this and more are discussed! If…

In this episode, Maya and Ian are joined by Bryon to talk about the beloved Discworld fantasy series by Sir Terry Pratchett. How does Sam Vimes relate to The End of History? How much worldbuilding is enough? These questions and more are discussed! If you like our work, please let us know! You can write to us at fanfictapes@gmail.com or reach out to…

In this episode, Maya and Ian are once again joined by Riley to talk about the trope of the "Rule of Funny". What is the Rule of Funny, and when and how do you use it in your writing? You can find Riley's work on their website: https://www.rileyquinnthefool.com/ If you like our work, please let us know! You can write to us at fanfictapes@gmail.com …

In this episode, Maya and Ian are joined by Bryon to talk about how timing makes humor work. You can find the article Bryon mentions here: https://deadspin.com/how-wile-e-coyote-explains-the-world-1752248034 If you like our work, please let us know! You can write to us at fanfictapes@gmail.com or reach out to us on Twitter @TheFanfictionTapes. Host…

In this episode, Maya and Ian are joined by returning guest Badger to talk about satire and parody. If you like our work, please let us know! You can write to us at fanfictapes@gmail.com or reach out to us on Twitter @TheFanfictionTapes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Fanfiction Tapes is back with Season 2, and this season we will be taking a look at the genre and aesthetic side of writing. To start things off, throughout the month of July we will be talking about Comedy. On our first episode of Comedy Month, Maya and Ian are joined by Sarah to talk about the concept of “punching up” versus “punching down”, …

On this episode, Maya and Ian are joined by Vesper to talk about the trope of the MacGuffin. What is or is not a MacGuffin, and how can you use this trope in your writings? This is the final episode of Season 1 of The Fanfiction Tapes! We will return with new episodes starting July 2nd. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

Maya, Dylan, and Ian are joined by Romke to talk about setting the stakes in your story. You can follow Dylan's various other projects as XVGDylan and Threads of Dragons on YouTube and XVGDylan on Twitch, and you can support him on Patreon at www.patreon.com/threadsofdragons. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

Maya, Dylan, and Ian are joined once again by Elizabeth to discuss plot twists in stories, what makes them work, what makes them flop, and examples both good and bad. Elizabeth's music can be found at youtube.com/@agogobell28. Dylan's various other projects are XVGDylan and Threads of Dragons on YouTube, XVGDylan on Twitch, and you can support him …

Maya, Dylan, and Ian are joined once again by Cam to talk about plots, plot structures, and plot twists, and how stories and shows have done them well or poorly. You can support Cam's work via Patreon at www.patreon.com/alienwrites. You can support Dylan's projects over on his YouTube channels, XVGDylan and Threads of Dragons, on Twitch at XVGDylan…

Maya and Ian are joined by Riley Quinn to talk about Brandon Sanderson's multi-series epic fantasy setting, the Cosmere. You can find Riley's book, "The Fool, The Lovers, The Devil" online at https://www.rileyquinnthefool.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Maya, Dylan, and Ian are joined by Cam to talk about tropes around the end of the world as we know it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Ian, Dylan, and Maya discuss the various ways that genre conventions and tropes impact the way a writer builds their world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Maya, Dylan, and Ian are joined by Steamed to talk about the art of showing your world to readers, and the various do's and don'ts of exposition. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We start off our Worldbuilding Month with a case study. Join Dylan, Maya, Ian, and our guest this week, Jax, as we discuss Dylan's own worldbuilding project: the world of Zinnade. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Maya, Dylan, and Ian are joined by Riley Quinn, author of The Fool, The Lovers, The Devil (www.rileyquinnthefool.com) to discus the trope of the 5-Man Band and related tropes about characters and teams. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.