Mad scientists John and Craig dissect monsters and how they function in the stories we tell. How do monsters differ from the average villain? What makes them tick? And how do you make them fascinating?

We also discuss how narratives are applied to real-life news, follow up on aphantasia and diabetes, and answer a listener question on characters in cosplay.

In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig fire up their dial-up modems to reminisce about the old internet.

Links:

• Aaron Sorkin on This Cultural Life from BBC Radio 4
• Serious Trouble podcast from Josh Barro and Ken White
• LEGO Titanic
• Internet Artifacts
• Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!
• Check out the Inneresting Newsletter
• Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription!
• Craig Mazin on Threads and Instagram
• John August on Threads, Instagram and Twitter
• John on Mastodon
• Outro by Matthew Chilelli (send us yours!)
• Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt with help from Chris Csont, and edited by Matthew Chilelli.

Email us at [email protected]

You can download the episode here.