Genre Blender

By Genre Blender

Exploring what makes stories stick, from the page to the screen—with Kris and Rian.... more

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FAQs about Genre Blender:

How many episodes does Genre Blender have?

The podcast currently has 27 episodes available.

Genre Blender episodes:

October 28, 2024 7: Stressed Out By Stardew Valley
Games, games, and more games, oh my! The duo discuss storytelling in their favourite video games (and their gripes with being too time-poor to enjoy said video games), and Rian mentions Mass Effect fifty-six million times.

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:51 Read / Watch / Play updates
08:33 Main topic: Compelling storytelling through gaming
54:58 Outro and links

Blog References:
The Power of Storytelling in Video Games
The Art of Video Game Storytelling 101

Games Mentioned:
Chef RPG, Super Zoo Story, Persona 5 Royal, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Life is Strange, Star Wars Outlanders, Star Wars Galaxies, Ghost of Tsushima, Ghost of Yotai, Assassins creed, Halo, Pokémon, Donkey Kong Country, Yoshi’s Story, Banjo Kazooie, Knights of the Old Republic, Age of Empires, The Sims, Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, The Haunted Chocolatier, Witchbrook, Bauldurs Gate, Little Sim World, Fable.

Books Mentioned:
The Erstwhile Tyler Kyle - Steve Hugh Westenra
That Way Lies Camelot - Janny Wurts
The Shadow Rising - Robert Jordan
The Cycle of Fire Series - Janny Wurts
Cool School: You Make it Happen - John Marsden
Creep Street: You Make it Happen - John Marsden

TV Mentioned:
Constellation
Heartstopper

Follow Kris and Rian:
A Fictional Escapist (YouTube)
A Fictional Escapist (Instagram)
Rian (Books Instagram)
Rian (Games Instagram)

Follow Genre Blender for podcast updates:
Patreon
YouTube
Instagram
TikTok
Website
...more
58min
October 14, 2024 6: Loyalty Card For The Next Time I Come Out
The duo queer it up this episode as they consider the topic of queer representation in media; from reminiscing over queer characters that informed their early years, to realising just how much queer rep—on paper and on-screen—has improved over the years.

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:00 Trigger warnings
01:06 Read / Watch / Play updates
07:44 Main topic: Queer representation in media
56:23 Outro and links

Books:
Tipping the Velvet - Sarah Waters
Fingersmith - Sarah Waters
Silk Fire - Zabé Ellor
The Expanse series - James S. A. Corey

TV and Movies:
Jane Espenson (TV writer)
Foundation (2021)
Heartstopper (2022)
Queer As Folk (2000)
The Fosters (2013)
The L Word (2004)
The L Word: Generation Q (2019)
Xena: Warrior Princess (1995)
Will & Grace (1998)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997)
Six Feet Under (2001)
Sense8 (2015)
Boys Don’t Cry (1999)
The Umbrella Academy (2019)
The Danish Girl (2015)
Orange is the New Black (2013)

Games:
Chef RPG
Super Zoo Story
Metaphor ReFantazio
Life is Strange
Dragon Age (series)
The Sims 4
Mass Effect (Legendary Edition)
Baldur’s Gate 3
Cyberpunk 2077
Tell Me Why

Follow Kris and Rian:
⁠⁠A Fictional Escapist (YouTube)⁠⁠
⁠⁠A Fictional Escapist (Instagram)⁠⁠
⁠⁠Rian (Instagram)⁠⁠

Follow Genre Blender for podcast updates:
⁠⁠genreblenderpodcast.com⁠⁠
⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠
Patreon
⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠
⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠
...more
59min
September 30, 2024 5: Area X, Where Lots of Things Suck (Buddy Read #1)
Rian and Kris cross the border to the mysterious Area X for their very first buddy read. The duo discuss Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach trilogy in-depth, and walk away forever changed.

Join our ⁠Patreon⁠ for free to participate in the book discussion!

Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:58 Kick-off with a quote
06:33 Non-spoiler intro to the trilogy
08:52 Structure of the discussion
10:16 Plot and characters in Annihilation (Book 1)
24:01 Exploration of themes
30:46 Exploration of Authority (Book 2)
40:07 Acceptance (Book 3), more themes, WTF moments
58:43 Favourite WTF moments
01:03:50 Rian’s final points
01:07:31 Author intentions
01:09:38 Thoughts on our first buddy read
01:12:29 How to support the podcast
01:14:18 Links, socials, and intro to the next episode

Annihilation - Jeff Vandermeer
Authority - Jeff Vandermeer
Acceptance - Jeff Vandermeer

Movie: Brick (2005) written & directed by Rian Johnson

An explanation (Jeff VanderMeer article):
https://commforum.mit.edu/the-spooky-science-of-the-southern-reach-an-evening-with-jeff-vandermeer-3f2faaf0dbb6

Follow Kris and Rian:
⁠A Fictional Escapist (YouTube)⁠
⁠A Fictional Escapist (Instagram)⁠
⁠Rian (Instagram)⁠

Follow Genre Blender for podcast updates:
⁠genreblenderpodcast.com⁠
⁠YouTube⁠
⁠Instagram⁠
⁠TikTok⁠
...more
1h 16min
September 16, 2024 4: Made For Pure Love
Rian nerds out over a new favourite anime, Kris gets hooked on a game about…. cooking? And the pair barely scratch the surface on a mega topic for discussion: adaptations and cross-overs.

⁠Best movie adaptations of popular novels⁠

⁠The Way of Unity - Sarah K. Balstrup⁠

⁠Leviathan Wakes - James S. A. Corey⁠

⁠The Three Body Problem - Cixin Liu⁠

⁠Annihilation - Jeff Vandermeer⁠

⁠Authority - Jeff Vandermeer⁠

⁠What you are looking for is in the library - Michiko Aoyama, translated by Alison Watts⁠

⁠Terminator Zero⁠

⁠Aliens (1986)⁠

⁠The Wickwire Watch⁠

⁠Chef RPG (Steam)⁠

⁠Of Love and Loss - B.S.H. Garcia⁠

⁠The Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan⁠

⁠Mass Effect⁠

⁠Death Stranding⁠

⁠Obsidian Awakening - Sienna Frost⁠

⁠Kafka on the Shore - Haruki Murakami⁠

⁠Jurassic Park - Michael Crichton⁠

⁠Foundation - Isaac Asimov⁠

⁠The Life of Pi - Yann Martel⁠

⁠A Game of Thrones - George R. R. Martin⁠

⁠Icebreaker - Steven William Hannah⁠

⁠Neuromancer - William Gibson⁠

⁠Altered Carbon - Richard K. Morgan⁠

⁠Firefly⁠

⁠Serenity (2005)⁠

⁠The Shannara Chronicles⁠

⁠Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)⁠

⁠The Salt Grows Heavy - Cassandra Khaw⁠

⁠Lilly Wachowski to co-produce animated adaptation of trans novel Hell Followed With Us⁠

⁠Wicked (2024)⁠

⁠The Greatest Showman (2017)⁠

⁠Burlesque⁠

⁠Shrek The Musical⁠

⁠Willow Talks Books⁠

——————

Follow Kris and Rian:
⁠A Fictional Escapist (YouTube)⁠
⁠A Fictional Escapist (Instagram)⁠
⁠Rian (Instagram)⁠

Follow Genre Blender for podcast updates:
⁠genreblenderpodcast.com⁠ for all the links.
Join our ⁠Patreon⁠!
⁠YouTube⁠ for the video podcast.
⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ for clips.
...more
56min
September 02, 2024 3: Kicked Off The Internet
Rian watches an artsy lesbian thriller, Kris watches a renowned sci-fi classic, and they both dig themselves a hole while discussing the main topic of the week: modern vs classic fiction.

Article Mentioned:
What makes a classic?

Books mentioned:
- The Shining - Stephen King
- Old Man's War - John Scalzi
- Annihilation - Jeff Vandermeer
- Club Contango - Eliane Boey
- The Tale of Genji - Murasaki Shikibu
- Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
- Most Ardently - Gabe Cole Novoa
- Middlemarch - George Eliot
- The Picture of Dorian Grey - Oscar Wilde
- Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
- Toll the Hounds - Steven Erikson
- Moby Dick - Herman Melville

Films mentioned:
- Love Lies Bleeding
- Alien
- Poor Things

Channels mentioned:
Willow Talks Books
My Name is Marines

Follow Kris and Rian:
A Fictional Escapist (YouTube)
A Fictional Escapist (Instagram)
A Fictional Escapist (Goodreads)
Rian (Instagram)
Rian (Goodreads)

Follow Genre Blender for podcast updates:
YouTube
Instagram
...more
48min
August 19, 2024 2: Stupid Ridiculous Idea
After sharing their read/watch/play updates and Kris’s current writing project, the pair discuss why they read, and Rian shares their ridiculous number of reading projects.

Books and authors mentioned:
Toll the Hounds - Steven Erikson
Legacy of Brick & Bone - Krystle Matar
The Swamp - Palmer Pickering
The Host - Stephenie Meyer
Kafka on the Shore - Haruki Murakami
The Shining - Stephen King
Rage - Stephen King
Old Man’s War - John Scalzi
Redshirts - John Scalzi
Salem’s Lot - Stephen King
Carrie - Stephen King
The Eyes of the Dragon - Stephen King
Misery - Stephen King
V. C. Andrews
Perdido Street Station - China Mieville
Embassytown - China Mieville
This Census Taker - China Mieville
Daphne du Maurier
Guy Gavriel Kay
Robert A. Heinlein
Arthur C. Clarke
Isaac Asimov

Films, TV, games mentioned:
Twilight: New Moon
Valheim (Iron Gate Studio)
Star Wars: The Acolyte
Star Wars: Outlaws
Oxenfree (Night School Studio)

Shout-out:
Johanna Reads (YouTube) - www.youtube.com/@Johanna_reads

Follow Kris and Rian:
A Fictional Escapist (YouTube)
A Fictional Escapist (Instagram)
Rian (Instagram)

Follow Genre Blender for podcast updates:
YouTube
Instagram
...more
38min
August 06, 20241: Non-Confrontational Fisticuffs
Rian and Kris introduce the podcast and themselves, and have a very non-confrontational debate about sci-fi vs fantasy because the first episode is way too early for the friends to enemies narrative trope.

Books and authors mentioned:
Jeff Vandermeer - Area X (series)

Stephen King

Adrian Tchaikovsky - Elder Race (novella)

Christopher Ruocchio - The Sun Eater (series)

Patrick Rothfuss - The Name of the Wind

Steven Erikson - Malazan Book of the Fallen (series)

Douglas Adams - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Terry Pratchett

Haruki Murakami - Kafka on the Shore

Susanna Clarke - Piranesi

James S.A. Corey - The Expanse (series)

Peter Watts - Firefall (duology)

Guy Gavriel Kay

Tom Dumbrell - A Killer and a King

Robert A. Heinlein

Arthur C. Clarke - Rendezvous with Rama

Robert Jordan - The Wheel of Time (series)

Films and TV mentioned:
Annihilation (2018)

Star Trek - Deep Space Nine (1993, 7 seasons)

Earth 2 (1994, 1 season)

Farscape (1999, 4 seasons)

Battlestar Galactica (2004, 4 seasons)

Kris's social links:
A Fictional Escapist (YouTube)

A Fictional Escapist (Instagram)

The Escapist (Goodreads)

Rian's social links:
Rian Floyd (Instagram)

Rian Floyd (TikTok)

Rian Floyd (Goodreads)

Follow Genre Blender for updates:
Genre Blender (YouTube)

Genre Blender (Instagram)

Genre Blender (TikTok)
...more
48min

FAQs about Genre Blender:

How many episodes does Genre Blender have?

The podcast currently has 27 episodes available.