Your Rivers Are Wrong

We did promise an Avatar episode, and this is sort of it! Starting off relatively normal with a discussion about The Muscle of a group, the role character-wise and story-wise of "the strongest" character, we very quickly fall off the rails with a chain of Avatar-related rants. Tune in for a good time! Today's Prompt: "Describe a city that you can hear before you see."

Alternate Title: Cell Phones and Ziplines What is nomadism, and why do people live without permanence? Whether due to necessity or personal choice, the life of a perpetual wanderer poses its own challenges and merits. We delve into its role in storytelling, and how the nomad is often the medium through which we view the world. Afterwards we talk tech! How does the level of invention affect a setti...

If you could make one wish, what would it be? And to what lengths have you gone to master your craft? Today we ramble on about many things, from traveling in Europe to the Animaniacs to Ferrofluid and everything in between. Join us for another fun episode of Your Rivers are Wrong!

It's pirates! And fire! What more could you ask for? In the wake of the newly released "Our Flag Means Death", we discuss the appeal of a buccaneer's tale and the vibrant yet violent nature of fire. Hop in for a fun episode!

Welcome back for Season 2! We're getting right back to business, discussing the impacts of currency on culture, and how the fourth wall can make or break stories. If you've an idea for a topic, contact us at yourriversarewrong@gmail.com!

The prelude to Season 2 - special guest Josh aka Moonroster joins the podcast for a full episode about building unique characters and, well, sometimes losing them! We address the nuance of writing characters without knowing their fates, and how that differs from those written in one-author literary media. The prompt at the end has us building a five-minute character, so stick around for that too!&...

"He takes a deep breath. The air fuels the burning furnace that churns in his core, an aching cry reverberating through his body. The traveler looks to the skies above. He'd been absent for too long, he muses quietly. The blights of his affliction forced him to depart from his home, his people. But now, when they truly needed him, he no longer had the luxury to hide. The flames continued to burn,...

Stick around for the prompt, it's a fun one! A bit thrown off-kilter from Daylight Savings, tune in as we talk about cool things like, what makes the world of Pokémon so popular? And what makes for an amazing ending to a book, movie or TV show? A pretty light-hearted episode with a dramatic finish. All here at Your Rivers are Wrong! Music Credit: "Night on the Docks" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech....

"A horn sounds in the distance. The black of the screen breaks in the middle to reveal the whites of clouds accented against a clear blue sky. The camera sweeps downwards, revealing a stunning landscape of mountains and fields, traced with roads that link the villages like strands of yarn. Of course, the crown of this land rests in the center, with ivory-white walls and gleaming gates. The kingdom...

"The sound of metal ringing against stone reverberates through the open air. Winds howl around the climber, chilling them even through many layers of clothing. She grits her teeth, fastening the piton into the cliffside crevice, preparing to pull herself just a few feet higher. Only hundred more to go, she thought quietly, glancing towards the quickly setting sun in the horizon. Would she make it,...

When a deep dive goes too deep! From writing women in literature, beauty standards, character bleeds and roleplaying advice, we bounce through a trove of topics tied to the bottomless hobby of storytelling. Celebrating ten episodes and three years since our first D&D campaign, join us as we take a trip down memory lane and sort out what we've learned along the way.

"The pair stepped away from the shadows of the palm trees into a marketplace audaciously warm and vibrant, every color accented by a pair of sounds and scents. Every corner of space demanded attention, a plea to togetherness that only a tightly-knit community could provide. For the first time in weeks, the elves lowered their hoods and walked the foreign streets as enamored guests. They looked at...

"Seven runes separated the dungeoneers from the treasure of a lifetime. It was an ancient language, older than the history of their archives, but not beyond recognition. The dwarf traced the sigils with her fingertips. Primordial? Sylvan? No, the accents that hung above each rune indicated otherwise. She muttered a few words under her breath, lifting her fingers to the sky, tracing sigils of her o...

"The brooding wanderer pulls at his coat, bracing for the incoming chill. A swift wind challenges him, buffeting the traveler with an onslaught of ice. He steps slowly through the growing layer of snow towards a destination in the distance. Where was he going? Somewhere? Anywhere? It didn't matter; so long as they had differences irreconcilable, he could never again stand by the side of his most l...

What makes a great villain? How do antagonists turn evil into appeal, and win over their audience? We also turn to Merle, our resident cartography expert, to break down the pieces of a perfect map, and the delicate balance between purpose and realism. Join us for another very fun episode of Your Rivers Are Wrong!

"You find yourself alone, standing at the top of a hill overlooking the vast fields of green laid out before you. A hearty breeze rolls over the landscape, the grass rippling like gentle waves flowing eastward. The town in your mind's eye was a few days away, on foot at least - may as well enjoy the scenery on the way there." What are dreams, and how do we make sense of them? Can we? What is often...

The music swells, a single spotlight falls on a well-dressed actor, who looks to the audience in reverence. A single note hangs from the violin, stretching a moment into minutes, as the audience waits with bated breath for the performer's first words. How does music mold our perception of a story? Whether it be movies, audiobooks, musical soundtracks, the track that plays in the background often s...

"The bell rings, and the swell of voices and pattering footsteps fill the halls like the opening of flood gates. Backpack slung over your shoulder, you jostle your way to your next class, navigating the corridors of a grand but familiar building, hoping to find some reprieve from the messy, confusing, and wonderful time that is the few fleeting minutes between classes." What's the appeal of an aca...

New day, new year, new format! Today we break down what it's like to start creating a world, from its first village to the sky-searing pantheon. How do you get your story off the ground? Well, turns out you need a place to tell it.

The first of many! Before we tackle the vastness that is the creative space of worldbuilding, we have to tackle the #1 question that comes with the hobby: what is D&D? Well, it's a lot of things. Let's talk about it.