Stories Across Borders

Daniel, Jon and @Marv_Missy discuss the X-Men franchise in its various iterations. How does character investment improve action? Why is Storm just the coolest?

Daniel and Jon delve into one of their favourite animated franchises and discuss how the action in The Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra and their various spin-offs is informed by the worldbuilding and the philosophies of its characters. How can action be indicative of character drama and the plot at large?

Daniel and Jon discuss the differences between action in visual mediums and the written word. How can you craft a dynamic action scene with only words?

Jon reads Daniel's short story, Five Lessons. Then, the two of them discuss the content of the story. Do coming of age stories need to lean into trauma and drama? Is it really possible to pinpoint the exact moment someone's childhood starts to come to a close?

Daniel and Jon break down another classic film with Good Will Hunting. They discuss why the movie counts as a coming of age film and why it was so influential and important. How do past traumas influence a character's growth in the present?

Daniel and Jon talk about the anime movie Drifting Home and how it portrays several different comings of age. How does the film make use of symbolism to reflect the growth of its characters?

Daniel and Jon discuss coming of age stories, a surprisingly diverse branch of fiction. Why do these stories resonate so strongly with the young and old alike?

Daniel and Jon discuss Invincible, a huge animated superhero series based on a successful comic series. How does Invincible highlight its human elements in a world that is superhuman?

Daniel is joined by Andy and Keith from @SDMediaGroup to discuss the webserial, Worm. How does Worm stand out from the crowd with consistent worldbuilding and a focus on consequences?

Daniel and Jon discuss Daniel's short story Paragon? What would it really be like if people with superpowers were dropped into a world more like our own?

Daniel is joined again by @Marv_Missy to discuss superhero stories. Why can they be so gripping? What are some common pitfalls in these stories?

Daniel is joined by special guests @Marv_Missy and Dan to discuss their web-serial, Secrets of Slumber. When does an objective narrator stop being so objective? Can a narrator who isn't in the story still be a character? Secrets of Slumber: https://slumberserial.wordpress.com/

Daniel and Jon deconstruct The Stanley Parable. How does the game's narrator draw our attention to the layers of metanarrative within and drive the plot forward?

Daniel and Jon discuss a modern classic, The Book Thief. How does its use of Death as a narrator highlight the themes of the story and raise thought-provoking questions?

Daniel and Jon discuss narration and perspective. How does the point of view we experience a story from influence our experience of it?

Daniel and Jon discuss a classic, Forrest Gump. How does this book and movie approach serious subject matter with a positive philosophy? Where does its storytelling excel and where does it fall flat?

Daniel and Jon subvert expectations by discussing positivity in storytelling. How does injecting a little hope and happiness enhance even the darkest, grittiest stories?

Daniel and Jon examine Stephen McCranie's Webtoon, Space Boy. How does the story take an approach towards surprisingly dark and complex subject matter that centres around healing and positivity? How does it explore the negative sides of positivity?

Daniel and Jon delve into Daniel's short story, Digging. How can a character's positive attitude and decision to focus on the good in their life be unhealthy and lead to conflict? How can a character's refusal to acknowledge the good in the bad prevent them from growing and healing?

Daniel and Jon take a look at Predestination, a favourite movie of Daniel's. How does it use Time Travel to build an interesting character study and to explore themes of destiny?

Daniel and Jon discuss City of Cycles, a short story written by Daniel. How does looping through time effect the protagonist's psyche and emphasise themes of loneliness? Why is the time travel plan likely to end in failure?

Daniel and Jon take a look at two very different anime series, both dealing with time loops and similar themes. What do these two shows have in common? Why do they both hit so hard emotionally despite their differing genres?

Daniel and Jon begin season two with a discussion of a popular trope in sci-fi and fantasy, Time Travel. What are the different ways Time Travel can appear and stories and what kinds of narrative and themes do these different types of story allow us to explore?

Daniel, Jon and Jay are back with more Star Wars discussion. Why were the prequels misunderstood for so long? How did they add a great deal of depth to the Star Wars universe by expanding on the original trilogy?

Daniel, Jon and Jay look back at the beginning of a franchise they love. How did the original Star Wars trilogy capture the hearts of generations and lay the groundwork for an enrapturing and expansive universe?