Exolore: facts-based fictional worldbuilding

Professional linguist and language creator, Dr. Jessie Sams, joins me this week to talk about how fictional languages are built. We talk phonetics, word order, bear languages, and so much more! HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Dr. Jessie Sams is a language inventor and professor of linguistics at Stephen F. Austin State University. You can hear words s...

This week, we're focusing on the physical biology of creatures living on a planet orbiting an M dwarf star. We talk electric senses, lego crabs, and flying turtle jellyfish! HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUESTS Robert Ulrich is a PhD candidate at UCLA studying biomineralogy. You can follow Rob and all of the absolutely amazing things they do on twitter at...

This week, we're focusing on the physical environment of a planet orbiting an M dwarf star. We talk plate tectonics, atmospheric loss, compact multi-planet systems, and how uranium makes things HOT! HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUESTS Dr. Wendy Bohon is an earthquake geologist, science communicator, and AAAS If/Then Ambassador. You can follow Wendy on tw...

C.R. Rowenson is back to finish the magic system we started. We talk about runic magic systems, the recent supernova shortage in the Milky Way, and how Sky High is an underrated superhero movie. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST C.R. Rowenson is a trained chemical engineer who's passionate about writing and building magic systems. You can follow him on...

Julia Schifini joins me to talk about the worldbuilding in Netflix's adaptation series, Shadow and Bone. We talk about catholic sainthood, mythical deer, explaining your magic system, and much more! HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Julia Schifini is a podcaster, voice actor, mythology buff, and fellow fantasy nerd <3 You can follow her on twitter at...

This week we imagined what life might be like on a world where the appearance of the night sky changes every year. Get ready for some 8-legged fun! HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Dr. Lauren Esposito is an arachnologist and assistant curator at the California Academy of Sciences. Lauren co-founded the conservation non-profit Islands and Seas and the v...

Exolore is leaning more towards fantasy this week as C.R. Rowenson teaches us how to build magic systems! HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST C.R. Rowenson is a trained chemical engineer who's passionate about writing and building magic systems. You can follow him on twitter @ClarkRRowenson , find fantastic resources on his website crrowenson.com , and ch...

Multitude's very own Brandon Grugle joins us to talk about sound design in podcasting! HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Brandon Grugle is Head of Production at Multitude who has produced and sound designed absolute gems like Join the Party and Next Stop, plus many many others! You can learn more about Brandon's work on his website, brandongrugle.com ....

Game designer and computational linguist Kathryn Hymes joins us to talk about the games she's created and her process for making it happen! HOSTED by Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Kathryn Hymes is 50% of the indie studio Thorny Games, where she makes games about language and cryptography. She is a multiple time Indiecade Finalist and Award Winner, has spoken at G...

In this episode, I explain what plate tectonics, stellar chemistry, and galactic dynamics have to do with habitability AND how I think they can be used in cool worldbuilding. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist. You can watch Moiya's public talk about her research on YouTube here . SPONSORS! - Inked Gaming: inkedgaming.com/exolore and use the code EXOLORE for 1...

What causes seasons on Earth? Our planet's axial tilt! But what might life be like on a world with no tilt at all? HOSTED by Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUESTS Maureen Kahiu is a Masters student of plant sciences at Penn State with a focus on turf grass pathology. She also has experience working as a golf course supervisor , a field dominated by men. You can follow M...

Author and tarot theologian Saint Gibson joins me to share her creative process. We talk about the importance of setting up an atmosphere for your world and the many ways that tarot can help guide you in your creative journey. HOSTED by Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Saint Gibson is an author and self-described tarot theologian. Her latest book, A Dowry of Blood i...

Apparently 99% of animals on Earth reproduce like ~the birds and the bees~ but what would life be like if you could make a baby with ANYONE, even yourself? HOSTED by Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUESTS Bri Watson is an archivist, historian, and knowledge organizer with a specialty in the history of sexuality. You can follow Bri on twitter at @brimwats and learn more a...

Eric Silver joins us to answer my burning questions about the Pokemon world, and together we discuss the weirdest and world-breaking-est Pokemon. HOSTED by Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Eric Silver is a podcaster, writer, and Head of Creative at Multitude Productions. You can follow him on twitter at @El_Silvero and visit his website: ericsilver.work . You can fi...

In this episode, we talk about active empathy and character driven stories and we imagine our dream artsy grandma. HOSTED by Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Morgan Sweeney is a science communicator and host of the Magic of the Mind podcast that blends fantasy storytelling and cognitive science. You can follow Morgan on twitter at @morgansweeneyyy and you can learn...

TBH this episode was mostly my excuse to talk about where holidays come from, but I do talk a bit about my worldbuilding interpretation of TNBC. HOSTED by Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist SPONSORS! - Tab for a Cause: tabforacause.org/exolore   FIND US ONLINE - patreon:  patreon.com/goastromo - twitter: twitter.com/ExolorePod - instagram: instagram.com/exolorepod - website...

65 million years ago, a comet wiped out the non-avian dinosaurs on Earth. But what if we just... undid that? In this episode, we imagine what could have happened if that space rock had flown just a few thousand miles to the left. HOSTED by Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUESTS Dustin Growick is a dinosaur expert and science communicator who leads an awesome museum tour....

There's more to an auction than a loud man talking real fast. In this episode, Cassandra Hatton and I chat about Biggie Smalls, the importance of keeping your receipts, and secret societies, among other things. HOSTED by Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Cassandra Hatton is a vice president and senior specialist at Sotheby's. She specializes in space artifacts, rare...

Have you heard of HBOMax's new show set on the planet Kepler 22b? It's called Raised by Wolves and here are my thoughts. *NO MAJOR SPOILERS* HOSTED by Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist SPONSORS! - Brilliant: brilliant.org/exolore - Inked Gaming: inkedgaming.com/exolore  with the code EXOLORE at checkout   FIND US ONLINE - patreon:  patreon.com/goastromo - twitter: twitter....

Bird is the word on this rapidly rotating world. Harsh storms and flooded continents can't poop on this avian party. HOSTED by Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUESTS Katherine Hatcher is a chronobiologist at Albany Medical College who researches reproduction and puberty. You can follow her on twitter at @superchiasmatic and you can visit her website, kmhatcher.com . Zak...

Y'all, makeup is so cool! I've been sleeping on this whole category of products that can be used to affirm people's gender, create spooky sci-fi monsters, and protect people's identities during protests?! Nina Lutz is here to tell me what I've been missing. HOSTED by Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Nina Lutz is a graduate student at the MIT Media Lab who uses compu...

So Maggie Tokuda-Hall created this beautiful sea-centered world and then expected me NOT to talk about it?? Get ready for a discussion about how magic relates to linguistic hypotheses and why people have personified the sea for centuries. **contains spoilers** HOSTED by Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Julia Schifini is a writer, historian, voice actor, and cohost o...

Astronomers recently found phosphine in Venus’ atmosphere, which indicates that there MIGHT be life there. Obviously, I couldn’t stop myself from imagining what that life could be like, and then this episode happened. HOSTED by Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUESTS Jazmin Scarlett is a social volcanologist. You can follow her on twitter at @scarlett_jazmin . You can rea...

Dungeons & Dragons is one of the most well-known role playing games in the world, but their methods for creating the game are a bit more obscure. I chatted with Alison Luhrs, the person who builds some of the worlds and writes some of the stories of D&D about how she does it. HOSTED by Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Alison Luhrs is the Narrative Design Lea...

Have you watched the cooking show Crazy Delicious? I watched it and now I have thoughts ! HOSTED by Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist FUN REFERENCES - Pareidolia, the act of seeing faces in objects: https://www.livescience.com/25448-pareidolia.html#:~:text=Pareidolia%20is%20a%20type%20of,the%20surface%20of%20the%20moon. - Human brain response to stories: https://www.ncbi.n...