Notes:

Here are some articles and videos that we found helpful in preparation for this conversation:

- The New York Times Article “‘Avengers: Endgame’: The Screenwriters Answer Every Question You Might Have”

- Vanity Fair Article “How the Avengers: Endgame Writers Made Life-and-Death Decisions”

- MotionPictures.org Article “The Russo Brothers Say Avengers: Infinity War is a Thanos Movie”

At one point, we dig into how Steve starts out willing to lay down his life for others, from the moment he jumps on the fake grenade we know who he is and in the end of the film he gives up his dreams (a dance with Peggy) to save the world. The Verbivore mentions a quote from the writers of Infinity War and Endgame. The full quote is:

- “And that’s why [Captain America] can’t die in this movie, because he was willing to die in the first one. That’s not a journey.”

The Verbivore references a quote by Tony Stark in The Avengers where he realizes his similarities with Loki. Here is that full quote:

- “He wants to beat us and he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience.... Loki's a full-tilt diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built in the skies with his name plastered…[realizes he’s describing Stark Tower] Son of a b*tch.”

We talk about the intersection between Rocket and Yondu’s characters in the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, when they have a moment that digs into what’s going on inside of them. Here is that full dialogue exchange:

Yondu : You can fool yourself and everyone else, but you can't fool me. I know who you are.

Rocket : You don't know anything about me, loser.

Yondu : I know everything about you. I know you play like you're the meanest and the hardest but actually you're the most scared of all.

Rocket : Shut up!

Yondu : I know you steal batteries you don't need and you push away anyone who's willing to put up with you 'cause just a little bit of love reminds you of how big and empty that hole inside you actually is.

Rocket : I said shut up!

Yondu : I know them scientists what made you, never gave a rat's ass about you!

Rocket : I'm serious, dude!

Yondu : Just like my own damn parents who sold me, their own little baby, into slavery. I know who you are, boy. Because you're me!

Rocket : ...What kind of a pair are we?

Yondu : The kind that's about to go fight a planet, I reckon.

Rocket : All right, okay! Good, that's... Wait. Fight a what?

We also talk about the opening of Black Panther that sets up the relationship dynamics between T’Challa and his friends and family. Here is a snippet of that dialogue:

Okoye : Just don't freeze when you see her.

T'Challa : What are taking about? I never freeze.

Later

Shuri : Did he freeze?

Okoye : Like an antelope in headlights.

T’Challa : Are you finished?

Books, Movies, and Graphic Novels Mentioned:

Captain America: The First Avenger - Directed by Joe Johnston

Iron Man - Directed by Jon Favreau

Captain America: Winter Soldier - Directed by Joe Russo and Anthony Russo

Captain America: Civil War - Directed by Joe Russo and Anthony Russo

The Avengers - Directed by Joss Wedon

Avengers: Age of Ultron - Directed by Joss Wedon

Avengers: Infinity War - Directed by Joe Russo and Anthony Russo

Avengers: Endgame - Directed by Joe Russo and Anthony Russo

Guardians of the Galaxy - Directed by James Gunn

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - Directed by James Gunn

Black Widow - Directed by Cate Shortland

Ironman 2 - Directed by Jon Favreau

Doctor Strange - Directed by Scott Derrickson

Black Panther - Directed by Ryan Coogler

Music from: https://filmmusic.io
‘Friendly day’ by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
Licence: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Notes:

Here are some articles and videos that we found helpful in preparation for this conversation:

- The New York Times Article “‘Avengers: Endgame’: The Screenwriters Answer Every Question You Might Have”

- Vanity Fair Article “How the Avengers: Endgame Writers Made Life-and-Death Decisions”

- MotionPictures.org Article “The Russo Brothers Say Avengers: Infinity War is a Thanos Movie”

- UltimatePopculture Article “Crossover_(fiction)” wiki

- Comic Book Treasury “The Marvel Comics Events and Crossovers List, from the ’80s Secret Wars to today”

Books, Movies, and Graphic Novels Mentioned:

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

The Hulk - Directed by Ang Lee

The Incredible Hulk - Directed by Louis Leterrier

Fantastic Four (2005) - Directed by Tim Story

Fantastic Four - Directed by Josh Trank

Iron Man - Directed by Jon Favreau

The Avengers - Directed by Joss Wedon

Thor - Directed by Kenneth Branagh

Captain America: The First Avenger - Directed by Joe Johnston

Captain America: Civil War - Directed by Joe Russo and Anthony Russo

Black Panther - Directed by Ryan Cogler

Ant-Man and the Wasp - Directed by Peyton Reed

Avengers: Age of Ultron - Directed by Joss Wedon

Captain America: Winter Soldier - Directed by Joe Russo and Anthony Russo

Avengers: Infinity War - Directed by Joe Russo and Anthony Russo

Avengers: Endgame - Directed by Joe Russo and Anthony Russo

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Spider-Man: No Way Home - Directed by Jon Watts

Music from: https://filmmusic.io
‘Friendly day’ by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
Licence: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Notes:

This exploration of comics is a brief exploration of a diverse and far-reaching genre. It’s not meant to be exhautive, but to touch on the vast landscape and a little of what we’ve found and enjoyed. There’s so much out there and we’d highly recommend exploring what might be for you.

Here are some articles and videos that we found helpful in preparation for this conversation:

- MasterClass Article “7 Tips for Writing Your First Comic Book”

- Alison Learning At The Primary Pond - Writing Lessons “4 Writing Skills To Teach Using Comic Books As Mentor Texts”

Fable references Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling. Here is a link:

https://mastersreview.com/tips-pixars-22-rules-of-storytelling/

The Verbivore mentions hearing Todd Mcfarlane, the creator of the comic Spawn, speak at Phoenix Fan Fusion/Comicon. One of the recommendations he gave to artists is to consolidate their stories down by having their art contain the element of movement in it, to avoid images that feel static.

The crazy comic we mention that feels like a blender of ideas, including a cop and dinosaurs, is called “Axe Cop”.

The Verbivore references the visual elements and story hook in the opening scene of the noir film Sin City based on the comic of the same name. Please note that this film in general has graphic violence and disturbing images, but not in the first scene. A video clip can be found on YouTube under “Sin City opening scene”.

We touch on several of our previous podcast episodes. They are as follows:

Pixar Storytelling

- Episode 35: Let's talk about Inside Out

- Episode 37: Pixar Storytelling Part 1

- Episode 38: Pixar Storytelling Part 2

Star Wars

- Episode 97: Star Wars (part 1)

- Episode 98: Star Wars (part 2)

- Episode 99: The Hero's Journey

- Episode 101: The Heroine's Journey

Books, Movies, and Graphic Novels Mentioned:

- Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Volume 1 – Written by Stephenie Meyer, Adapted and Illustrated by Young Kim

- Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Volume 2 – Written by Stephenie Meyer, Adapted and Illustrated by Young Kim

- Pride and Prejudice Graphic Novel – Written by Jane Austen, Adapted by Nancy Butler, Illustrated by Hugo Petrus

- The Lightening Thief Graphic Novel – Written by Rick Riordan, Illustrated by Attila Futaki and Jose Villarrubia

- The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up: A Magical Story (The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up) by Marie Kondō

- The Hunger Games – Directed by Gary Ross

- Sin City – Directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez

- Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo  

- AntMan – Directed by Peyton Reed  

- The Batman – Directed by Matt Reeves

- The Killing Joke - Written by Alan Moore & Brian Bolland

- Birds of Prey Vol. 1 – Written by Chuck Dixon & Jordan Gorfinkel

- Fables: Legends in Exile, Vol. 1 – Written by Bill Willingham, Illustrated by James Jean and Alex Maleev

Music from: https://filmmusic.io
‘Friendly day’ by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
Licence: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Notes:

This exploration of common tropes of science fiction isn’t meant to be exhaustive. It’s a brief overview of some of our favorites while acknowledging that there are many others to explore.

Here are some articles and videos that we found helpful in preparation for this conversation:

- MasterClass Article “What Is Science Fiction Writing? Definition and Characteristics of Science Fiction Literature”

- Writer’s Digest Article “21 Popular Science Fiction Tropes for Writers”

- Writer’s Write Article “101 Science Fiction Tropes For Writers”

- Gizmodo Article “10 Great Sci-Fi Tropes (and 5 That Should Be Shot Into Space)”

- Book Riot Article “Best Alien Books”

- TVTropes.ord Article “Speculative Fiction Tropes”

- YouTube Video Why should you read “Fahrenheit 451”? - Iseult Gillespie (Ted-Ed)

- YouTube Video How science fiction can help predict the future by Roey Tzezana (Ted-Ed)

- YouTube Video James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction Episode 6 - Time Travel Documentary [Director's Commentary] - Timestamp 4:21

- YouTube Video Doctor Who - Complete Timey Wimey Don't Blink Speech - Timestamp 1:34

- YouTube Video Equilibrium (2/12) Movie CLIP - Killed for Reading (2002)

Fable and the Verbivore talk about the grandfather paradox as part of our time travel trope discussion. Here is a brief definition:

- The grandfather paradox is a potential logical problem that would arise if a person were to travel to a past time. The name comes from the idea that if a person travels to a time before their grandfather had children, and kills him, it would make their own birth impossible. So, if time travel is possible, it somehow must avoid such a contradiction.

The Verbivore talks about a babel fish, it’s a creature from the book Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. It can be placed in the ear of anyone and translates whatever language is being spoken directly into the brain of the wearer. More information can be found at:

- https://hitchhikers.fandom.com/wiki/Babel_Fish

The Verbivore references the science jargon quote from The Avengers: Infinity War, where Shuri is assessing the mind stone’s connection to Vision’s mind. Bruce Banner (The Hulk) is explaining what he and Tony Stark did to create the connection. Here is that dialogue:

- Shuri : The structure is polymorphic.

- Bruce Banner : Right. We... we had to attach each neuron non... non-sequentially.

- Shuri : Why didn't you just preprogram the synopsis to work collectively?

- Bruce Banner : [as Vision turns his attention to Banner with curiosity]  Because, we, didn't... think of it?

- Shuri : I'm sure you did your best.

As we talk about scientific jargon, both Fable and the Verbivore reference the phrase “Timey, Wimey”. This comes from Doctor Who Series 3, Episode 10 “Blink”, which we’d highly recommend. The full quote is:

- “People assume time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually, from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff.”

We touch on several of our previous podcast episodes. They are as follows:

- Episode 128: The Opposite of Always

- Episode 138: The Science Fiction Genre

- Episode 139: Science vs Magic

- Episode 140: When the Sky Fell on Splendor by Emily Henry

Books, Movies, and TV Shows Mentioned:

- Star Trek Original Season

- Star Trek: The Next Generation Complete Series

- Doctor Who: The Complete First Series

- Eureka - The Complete Series

- War Games - Directed by John Badham

- Terminator 6-Film Collection

- 2001: A Space Odyssey - Directed by Stanley Kubrick

- Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

- Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Directed by Garth Jennings

- The Matrix - Directed by The Wachowskis

- The Matrix: Resurrections - Directed by Lana Wachowski

- Back to the Future – Directed by Robert Zemeckis

- James Cameron’s Story of Science Fiction

- The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

- A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury

- The Butterfly Effect - Directed Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber

- The Eyre Affair: A Thursday Next Novel by Jasper Fforde

- The Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds

- Live Die Repeat: Edge of Tomorrow

- All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka

- Doctor Strange - Directed by Scott Derrickson

- Arrival – Directed by Denis Villeneuve

- Jurassic Park by Micheal Crichton

- E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial – Directed by Steven Spielberg

- Super 8 - Directed by J. J. Abrams

- When the Sky Fell on Splendor by Emily Henry

- Stranger Things Season 1

- The Goonies - Directed by Richard Donner

- Contact by Carl Sagan

- Contact - Directed by Robert Zemeckis

- The Day the Earth Stood Still - Directed by Robert Wise

- Close Encounters of the Third Kind – Directed by Steven Spielberg

- The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

- War of the Worlds – Directed Steven Spielberg

- Independence Day – Directed by Roland Emmerich

- The Host by Stephanie Meyer

- Invasion of the Body Snatchers - Directed by Philip Kaufman

- The Martian by Andy Weir

- The Martian - Directed by Ridley Scott

- Interstellar – Directed by Christopher Nolan

- Stargate - Directed by Roland Emmerich

- Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Complete Box Set - Created by George Lucas

- Interworld by Neil Gaiman, Michael Reaves

- Loki Season 1

- Dark Matter by Dark Crouch  

- Avengers: Infinity War - Directed by Joe Russo, Anthony Russo

- Binti: The Complete Trilogy by Nnedi Okorafore

- The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

- West World - Directed by Michael Crichton

- Firefly: The Complete Series

- Serenity - Directed by Joss Wedon

- Equilibrium - Directed by Kurt Wimmer

- Fahrenheit 451 - by Ray Bradbury

- Fahrenheit 451

- V for Vendetta – Directed by James McTeigue

- Cinder by Marissa Meyer

- Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

- Ready Player One - Directed by Steven Spielberg

- Wall-E - Directed by Andrew Stanton

- Wreck-it Ralph / Ralph Breaks the Internet - Directed by Rich Moore, Phil Johnston

- Free Guy - Directed by Shawn Levy

- Tron - Directed by Steven Lisberger

- Tron Legacy - Directed by Joseph Kosinkski

Music from: https://filmmusic.io
‘Friendly day’ by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
Licence: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Notes:

Taryn is an author who shares copy editing tips on Instagram at #diycopyediting to help writers refresh or learn grammar and punctuation concepts in a fun, clear, and easy to use format. She has two short stories that have recently been purchased for publication in online magazines Daily Science Fiction and @CosmicRootszine. She has also written two works of fiction, has recently queried a contemporary novel, and is currently working on outlining a speculative fiction novel that’s a loose retelling of Homer’s Odyssey. She regularly shares short stories on #flashfictionmagic , posted poems on #posttopoet with @the.authoress.life, and is a candid and encouraging presence within the Instagram writing community.

Taryn’s personal website is https://tarynfrazier.com/ . Her site contains several links to her short stories that are in print. You can connect with her on Instagram @tarynrose.writes and on Twitter @tarynrosewriter.

Her work can be found at the following locations:

- “The Candy Shop” - Daily Science Fiction

- “The Birth of Samuel” - Transept art exhibit through the University of St. Andrews

- “On the Other Side of the Gate” - BloomMilitaryTeens.org

- “Sharing Family Stories” - Story Warren Blog

Taryn mentioned author Brandon Sanderson’s fantastic writing lectures that are available for free on YouTube. Those can be found at Brandon Sanderson - 2020 Creative Writing Lectures at BYU. She specifically recommends “Lecture #7: Short Stories — With Special Guest Instructor Mary Robinette Kowal”.

Taryn talked about several resources that she uses to identify places that are accepting short stories for publication. Those are:

- Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA) Market Report

- APEX Magazine Submission Guidelines

- Daily Science Fiction Submission Page

- Cosmic Roots And Eldritch Shores Submission Page

- Authors Publish Magazine and Newsletter

- The Submission Grinder

Books and Movies Mentioned:

- The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

- The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien

- Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

- The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander

- The O. Henry Short Story Collection

- The Odyssey by Homer (Author), Emily Wilson (Translator)

- Dreyer's English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style by Benjamin Dreyer

Music from: https://filmmusic.io
‘Friendly day’ by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
Licence: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Notes:

Fable mentions that she’s read all of author Emily Henry’s books, except the one that was co-written and her release that comes out May ‘22. Here are those titles in order of publication:

The Love That Split the World (2016)

A Million Junes (2017)

When the Sky Fell on Splendor (2019)

Hello Girls with Brittany Cavallaro (2019)

Beach Reads (2020)

People We Meet on Vacation (2021)

Book Lovers (2022)

Fable reads a quote from the book. Here is that quote:

“There were still pieces of us we so badly wished each other could see and yet couldn't make ourselves ask for, and there was anger and resentment and it still all hurt, but right now, we were here, and if we stayed long enough, things might start to heal, even a little bit.”

― When the Sky Fell on Splendor

Books and Movies Mentioned:

When the Sky Fell on Splendor by Emily Henry

Beach Reads by Emily Henry

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry

A Million Junes by Emily Henry

Hello Girls by Brittany Cavallaro, Emily Henry

Goonies - Directed by Richard Donner

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial – Directed by Steven Spielberg

Roswell: Complete Series (Seasons 1-3)

Stranger Things: The Complete First Season

Signs – Directed by M. Night Shyamalan

Close Encounters of the Third Kind – Directed by Steven Spielberg

X-files: Season 1

Music from: https://filmmusic.io
‘Friendly day’ by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
Licence: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Notes:

Definitions:

- Fantasy is a sub-genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and drama.

- Science fiction is a sub-genre of speculative fiction that typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel universes, and extraterrestrial life.

The Verbivore reads two quotes towards the beginning of the episode. They are:

- “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” - science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke

- “Any magic that is sufficiently systematized is indistinguishable from science.” - science fantasy writer N. K. Jemisin

The Verbivore talks about a conversation between James Cameron and George Lucas about if Star Wars is science fiction on James Cameron’s Story of Science Fiction series. George Lucas has said previously, "Star Wars isn't a science-fiction film, it's a fantasy film and a space opera."

Here are some articles and videos that we found helpful in preparation for this conversation:

- MasterClass Article “What Is Science Fiction Writing? Definition and Characteristics of Science Fiction Literature”

- MasterClass Article "What Is the Fantasy Genre? History of Fantasy and Subgenres and Types of Fantasy in Literature”

- Medium Article by Simon Dillon - “Why Star Wars Is Not Science Fiction”

- Inverse Article by Ryan Britt - “IS STAR WARS SCI-FI OR FANTASY? HOW GEORGE LUCAS CHANGED “SCIENCE FICTION”

- Nnedi’s Wahala Blogspot - “Africanfuturism Defined”

- YouTube Video “N. K. Jemisin Teaches Fantasy and Science Fiction Writing | Official Trailer | MasterClass”

Masterclasses Mentioned:

- N. K. Jemisin Teaches Fantasy and Science Fiction Writing

Books and Movies Mentioned:

Star Trek 10-Movie Stardate Collection

Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Complete Box Set

James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction

Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

InterWorld (InterWorld Trilogy, 1) by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Music from: https://filmmusic.io
‘Friendly day’ by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
Licence: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Notes:

This conversation that explores some of the common elements of science fiction isn’t meant to be exhaustive. It’s a brief overview of the landscape of science fiction storytelling while acknowledging that the area is vast and overlaps with other areas of speculative fiction.

Here are some articles and videos that we found helpful in preparation for this conversation:

MasterClass Article “What Is Science Fiction Writing? Definition and Characteristics of Science Fiction Literature”

“Questions Science Fiction Asks us to Consider” by Chris Duesing

MasterClass Article “5 Tips for Writing a Science Fiction Novel”

EW Article - “Margaret Atwood: There's nothing in The Handmaid's Tale 'that didn't happen, somewhere'“ by Dan Heching

Le Guin, Ursula K.. (1980). Introduction. The left hand of darkness (1st ed.). New York: Harper & Row. Posted on NYU.Edu Science Fiction - Theory and Commentary

Far Out Magazine Article - “How Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein' questioned ethics and morality in the science-fiction genre” by Debadrita Sur

YouTube Video "The Tragedy of Droids in Star Wars" by Pop Culture Detective

YouTube Video “Data writes a small talk routine” Star Trek TNG

YouTube Video “How science fiction can help predict the future” by Roey Tzezana (Ted-Ed)

We touch on several of our previous podcast episodes. They are as follows:

Episode 60: Let's talk about mysteries

Episode 106: Adventure stories (part 1)

Episode 107: Adventure stories (part 2)

Episode 126: Romance Tropes

Episode 129: Elements of the Thriller Genre

Books and Movies Mentioned:

James Cameron’s Story of Science Fiction

Flight of the Navigator – Directed by Randal Kleiser

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial – Directed by Steven Spielberg

Close Encounters of the Third Kind – Directed by Steven Spielberg

Independence Day – Directed by Roland Emmerich

Alien - Directed by Ridley Scott

Arrival – Directed by Denis Villeneuve

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin 

Dawn by Octavia E. Butler

District 9 – Directed by Neill Blomkamp

Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Complete Box Set - Directed by George Lucas

Star Trek 10-Movie Stardate Collection

Star Trek: The Next Generation Complete Series

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Jurassic Park by Micheal Crichton

Godzilla, the Showa-Era Films, 1954–1975 (the Criterion Collection)

Pacific Rim – Directed by Guillermo del Toro

The Animatrix – Directed by Andrew R. Jones and Kôji Morimoto

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

Blade Runner – Directed by Ridley Scott

Doctor Who: The Complete First Series

Back to the Future – Directed by Robert Zemeckis

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

Interstellar – Directed by Christopher Nolan

Tenet – Directed by Christopher Nolan

Music from: https://filmmusic.io
‘Friendly day’ by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
Licence: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)