Larping in Place
Live theater has been shut down across the country, but live action role play (“larp” for short) is finding new ways to thrive in digital spaces. I talk with Betsy Isaacson and Ryan Hart of Sinking Sh...
11 Jun 202033min
Are Time Travel Stories Unhealthy Fantasies?
Time travel is one of my favorite genres, and it’s also my go-to daydream. But I’ve begun to wonder whether time travel fantasies are a psychologically unhealthy way of avoiding problems in the presen...
28 Mai 202033min
The Curse of The Horror Movie Curse
When things go wrong, it’s tempting to say something’s cursed as a joke. But when things go dreadfully wrong on horror movie sets, some fans have speculated that the films were literally cursed. Jay C...
14 Mai 202031min
Childhood Toys That Still Comfort Our Listeners
Many of us have imaginary friends when we’re young in the guise of a doll, stuffed animal or toy that give us a sense of comfort. Then we grow out of those characters – or at least we’re supposed to. ...
30 Apr 202035min
Solarpunk the Future
Cyberpunk was cool. Steampunk was hip. Get ready for Solarpunk. This new emerging genre of art and fiction imagines a future where DIY environmental sustainability dictates the design of everything fr...
16 Apr 202031min
The Video Game That Predicted a Real Pandemic
In 2005, the multiplayer online game World of Warcraft was taken over by a virus called Corrupted Blood, and the virtual pandemic in this fantasy world played out remarkably like COVID-19. I talk with...
2 Apr 202030min
Are Retcons Gaslighting Fandoms?
We're craving an escape into our favorite fantasy worlds, but fans are complaining that all the "retconning" is ruining their suspension of disbelief. Why is retroactive continuity so controversial? O...
19 Mar 202033min
The Challenge of Imagining Heavenly Places
The Good Place just ended after four critically acclaimed seasons, and it was one of several recent TV shows to imagine the afterlife as being far from paradise. Pastor and podcaster JR Forasteros and...
5 Mar 202034min
