Your Rivers Are Wrong

Back at it again with fan prompts, written by you! A handful of wacky ones as we do our best to not make all the prompts sky-themed. Join us for this episode of Your Rivers Are Wrong!

Hello all, this is the sleepy after-vacation episode~ Both of us were super exhausted and decided to talk a little less today, and sticking to the theme, we're discussing silent, mute, and wordless characters! Are there any benefits to a character never speaking, and how do they communicate otherwise? Join us for another laidback episode of Your Rivers Are Wrong.

Reporting in from the Netherlands! Dante and Merle meet in-person for the second time ever to talk worldbuilding and storytelling face-to-face. Speaking of travel! Is the journey as important as the destination? How does the accessibility of travel affect the story's pace, and how is travel a measuring stick of power? All this and more in a very special episode of Your Rivers Are Wrong! Prompt...

This is the episode we got wildly off-topic! A conversation about movement in media branches off to all sorts of motion in media, soliloquys about subtitles, and the art of implied movement. If you like ramblings tangents, you'll love this episode. Prompt: Make up a story based on a guy famous for his one move!

We're back at it! The dynamic duo is reunited for the formal kickoff of Season 6! We talk shop about the art of game mastering, the importance of collaboration, the challenges of improvisation, and how to tie it all together. Prompt: Pitch me your best campaign idea, using these three randomly generated words!

The first episode of season 6 kicks off with a special guest! We're joined by Cassi Mothwin , esteemed TTRPG author and designer of several award-winning games, and resident expert on the motifs of folk horror. Check out her published work on her website! cassimothwin.com Both Merle and I will be back to formally start the new season next week, so stay tuned!

We're back! As the summer cools down, we've got a couple of announcements for you. Our first episode drops August 15th, featuring an interview with TTRPG designer Cassi Mothwin ! Episodes will be released weekly every Tuesday following. We've already got a handful of episodes recorded, including a special LIVE episode recorded in Europe! We meet in-person for the second time ever to ta...

It's the end of Season 5! Join us in celebrating the start to summer with one-sentence worldbuilding prompts written by you and improvised by us. The prompts just get crazier and crazier, so stick around until the end!

Sometimes we leave the bloopers in. Chaos ensues on this episode of worldbuilding and storytelling, as we collaborate to create a flying city! Where, how, and why does it fly, and what worlds are explored as it journeys across the horizon? Enjoy our full meltdown on this almost-end to season 5 of Your Rivers Are Wrong! Prompt: Make a chase scene in the city we just built!

Adulting! We're all doing it...right? What does it mean to "come of age" in stories and in life? Join us on this very special episode where we talk about growing up in both life and literature, and why that process is different for every person. Prompt: Make a coming-of-age story for the oldest character.

The internet is full of nightmarish D&D games, terrible DMs and horror story situations. How can you make sure your games are a good fit for your time, energy and storytelling? Well, join us at the transatlantic table to talk about Session Zero, a game-before-the-game that effectively irons out or brings to light problems before you have to experience them. The tabletop RPG experience should a...

Polar opposites, or two sides of the same coin? Books, movies, plays and even actors often choose to prioritize one or the other, but must they exist separately? Or rather, *can* they ever be separated? We talk about personal writing challenges, the mediums within which both are best conveyed, and close on a heartwarming tale of a tragic comedian. Prompt: Describe the funniest person with the sadd...

Every five episodes we tap into fan prompts! One-sentence worldbuilding foundations that blossom into beautiful (sometimes), chaotic (always) stories and setting, written by you!

Stop me if you've heard this before - cliches and stereotypes are often frowned on in modern media, but once upon a time every popular idea was seen in full for the first time. There's a reason cliches work, and we break down when you should use cliches in your own stories, and how the mastery of the storyteller comes into play. Prompt: Describe the most generic space fantasy!

What's a foil? Originating from a proper metal that refracts light through a gemstone, it's taken on its own meaning in literature. We break down what foils are, how they've been utilized, and how to properly play as a foil when the situation calls for it. The prompt that follows is a strange sort of meltdown you'll have to listen to to understand, maybe? Tune in to this episode of...

In stories, we speak of change as the driving force of a story. But what if it happens all at once? A drastic shift, a physical transformation, a world-altering moment, or simply a change of clothes - a lot can happen in the blink of an eye. How do stories utilize sudden change to bring color to a plot, and how do their characters respond? Find out on this episode of Your Rivers Are Wrong! Prompt:...

We're back! Today we talk about what it means to leave behind an impact! From past to present change, how do we create a world that characters can interface with, and how do we add gravity to their changes? Join us as we kick off Season 5 of Your Rivers Are Wrong! Prompt: The adventurers have come and gone. List three things that have changed about the village.

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This is the end of Season 4! We tie it all up with another episode of fan-submitted prompts, provided by you! Thanks so much for listening, we'll be back in April :D

A huge topic for our penultimate episode of Season 4 - we talk giants! Who they are, what they stand for, and how they impact your stories just by existing - a quintessential "monster" personified. Join us as we fee-fi-fumble through another topic and make for ourselves the hero nobody ever expects. Enjoy!

Warning: Light Snowpiercer spoilers! All sorts of worldbuilding in this episode, as we tackle the challenges of verticality! How does skyward structure change the landscape of a setting, the dynamics of a community, and the development of hierarchy? And stick around for life tips and unhinged prompt work towards the end, on this episode of Your Rivers Are Wrong. Prompt: The villain's on the roof!

We like sports and we don't care who knows! An unlikely topic for two worldbuilding nerds, but a welcome one. What stories do sports lend themselves towards, and why are they so popular? What is it about sports that naturally builds storylines, and brings out the best in each of the characters involved? We break it down here on Your Rivers Are Wrong. Prompt: It's the first day of the sports fair,...

The world conspires against us as fire and construction threaten our audio quality, but nonetheless! Another episode drops where Merle introduces the concept of geniuses and prodigies, and the role they play in their respective stories. What does it mean to be highly regarded, and how does one handle the burden of expectations? Prompt: Describe the story of a once-genius.

It's that time again! Bringing back the channel's favorite episode, we improvise the prompts you send in! Stick around as we build worlds and stories out of one-sentence ideas, provided by you. Enjoy!

Please listen to this episode, if only for the wild prompt at the end! Today we break down chase scenes, the rise and fall of tension, and how often having less details can amplify a scene. We talk TTRPG debacles, Nicholas Cage, and how drama is poignantly found in the second to moments. Enjoy! Prompt: Paint a chase scene collaboratively.