Your Rivers Are Wrong: Recent Episodes
YRAW Podcast
The possibilities are truly infinite within the worlds built by one's imagination. Two very easily distracted people ponder on the impact and art form of worldbuilding in every medium of creativity, from TV to tabletop games. From New York to the Netherlands, every week we each bring one topic to the transatlantic table, and afterwards round out the episode with an improvised worldbuilding prompt. The Hosts: - Merle https://merlefindhammer.com/ - Dante https://www.youtube.com/c/TheWintryWyvern
Welcome to the season finale! We celebrate the close to season 7 (finally) with four fan prompts submitted by you! Join us as we improvise the lives of failed underwater scientists, magic hat dimensions, space refugees and the perks of zombification. All this and more, tune in!
We're back with a big story! The whole episode is a prompt, with the goal to build a world for heroes to explore. We choose the tiniest of adventurers to make our world seem ever larger, and we improv a scene with what we've built! Join us on a haphazard adventure on this episode of Your Rivers Are Wrong.
You've waited your whole life for this moment, the pinnacle of justice served...but who am I, to deliver judgment? Today we talk revenge stories! Why they work, why the aftermath is so important, and what it means for characters who journey down that road.
Prompt: Describe the morning after revenge.
Monsters! You know 'em, you love 'em, but why? Today we breakdown the purpose of monsters in literature, how to give meaning to form, and what makes some monsters so memorable.
Prompt: Create a monster that lives in a randomly-generated setting.
Can worldbuilding and storytelling exist without each other? We dive into examples of each on its own, how they stand alone, and when they demand the presence of the other. A fun dive into truly breaking down the definition of story.
Prompt: Describe a scene that involves no people.
We're cruising through our first Fan Prompts of 2024! Join us as we take on your story ideas from Youtube and Twitter.
Today! We reflect on a quote from the Grishaverse author Leigh Bardugo, and the establishing of powers in worldbuilding. How do you demonstrate setting through power dynamics, or utilize mystique to get your players invested? A complicated talk on the essence of storytelling that was very fun to dive into.
Prompt: "Create a prologue that explains to us the most powerful person in the scene."
Is a TTRPG really a TTRPG if you play by yourself? Today we discuss the increasingly popular solo journaling genre! A niche within a niche of tabletop games, we break down the boons and banes of a story improvised entirely on your own, and name a couple of our personal recommendations.
Prompt: A journal entry of a mundane girl in a magical world.
What is it good for? Well if anything, it makes for lasting stories. Why do people write about war, and why do we connect to such tragedies? Today we're examining the literary weight that conflict brings, and the aftermath that inevitably follows. Stick around for one of our favorite prompts ever!
Prompt: A slo-mo moment in an intense conflict.
You've got your players, your characters, your side-table snacks, everything's primed and ready to begin your awesome adventure. But how do you make sure it goes off without a hitch? We kick off Season 7 with our tips on a successful "Session One" for any tabletop campaign.
Prompt: Now again, but notes-less!
Happy Halloween! We close out Season 6 with a fan-powered prompts episode, tackling the many monsters you all have concocted. Have a wonderful holiday and rest of the year, we will see you again in 2024!
[Audio fixed!] How do you add depth to a setting? You can outline its culture, its economy, its neighbors...but what about its timeline? Today we use the TTRPG "An Altogether Different River" by Aaron Lim to piece together a setting of our own, and act out the lives of two of its denizens.
Prompt: Play as two characters within your setting!
What is the purpose of a vehicle in a story, or lack thereof? We discuss the surprising gravity of mobility, its link to authority and autonomy, and how to best make use of one in your own writings. We're close to the end, so stick around!
Prompt: A genie's plan to escape its lamp.
Hello, fellow humans! Today we talk robots - how to define them, the potential of their character arcs, and why they are keystone entities in every setting they exist in. This episode gets more and more chaotic as time passes, so stay til the end!
Prompt: The first day of a robot's new job!
Gasp! A old janitor was the mastermind the whole time! Who could've guessed? Well, you did, probably, if you followed the breadcrumbs! Today we discuss the highlights and challenges of setting up meaningful clues, and what it takes to establish a meaningful mystery in an improvised setting.
Prompt: The villain is revealed!
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: Two people are alone in a train cart.
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 talk about worldbuilding face-to-face.
- Our Fan Prompts episode is coming up soon, so submit your prompts for us to improvise to: yourriversarewrong@gmail.com ! You can also tag us on Twitter! We are @YRAWPodcast there ^-^
See you all soon!
- merle & dante
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 always be a fun and welcoming time, and we impart the lessons we've learned after almost half a decade of storytelling.
Prompt: Play as yourself, joining a D&D table you know nothing about.
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 saddest backstory.
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 Your Rivers Are Wrong!
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: A person is given the chance of a lifetime to change. What do they do with this opportunity?
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.
Check us out here, or on any other streaming platform, or on Youtube and (sometimes) Twitter!
See you all soon! If you'd like to submit a prompt for our Fan Prompts episodes in the future, contact us at yourriversarewrong@gmail.com! Thanks for listening :D
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, and our main character shows everyone what she can do.
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.
Warning: This episode contain spoilers for a movie from 1987. If you would rather not hear about us rant about our newly found love of Inigo Montoya, please listen to a different episode. :P Join us as we discuss in our sleep-deprived delirium what it means to be invested in a character, how to consciously move a character forward, and why sometimes the side character is more lovable than the main ones.
Today we learn how to utilize all five senses to tell a fully immersive story, and highlight what makes media like Arcane so satisfying from an artistic perspective. Roles are swapped today as we keep trying out new things for the new year!
Prompt: Describe a monster that cannot be perceived by the five senses.
We're back! You're back! Welcome back to season 4 of Your Rivers Are Wrong. With a new format and some holiday cheer, we kick off the new season talking about introductions! They're messy, awkward, and never done quite right, and that's what we love about them. Thankfully, in the worldbuilding and storytelling realm, practice makes perfect. Join us for a fun episode, and thanks for being here!
Prompt: Introduce to me a disappointing hero.
Fun changes for the coming season! A quick lowdown on what's to come:
- Season 4 starts on January 10th, 2023!
- New format: one topic, one prompt! Shorter episodes, but more in-depth on the topic chosen.
- Alternating hosts! We'll alternate who opens every episode as we workshop new intros.
- Scheduled fan prompts! Every 5th and 10th episode of the season will be all prompts submitted by you! Feel free to send some ideas early to our email: yourriversarewrong@gmail.com.
Thanks so much for listening! Have a wonderful and warm holidays and new year. See ya then!
- Merle and Dante
Sometimes the most important details are the ones unspoken. In our final episode for 2022, we break down the absence of information, and emotions evoked from the mystery of the unknown. We follow it up with a discussion on how shared histories can add incredible depth to two characters well before they ever interact. An introspective episode to top of an incredible year. Celebrate with us, and enjoy the episode!
Prompt: A lone flower, unwilted, is found in an abandoned house. Explain how it got there.
The penultimate episode of Season 3 sends us on some strongly worded rants about our love-hate opinions on love dynamics and writing fiction. Watch as we fill in the blanks on our own origin stories!
Prompt: Write a love triangle where Character A is also Character C!
Hey, that looks familiar...it's another episode of Your Rivers Are Wrong! We talk time loops - why constraining your setting to a time rather than a place leads to some intense introspection. We follow it up with witches! The cauldron-twirling trope of a villain that has gotten more love in recent years. Hope you enjoy!
Prompt: Describe a protagonist that uses a time loop to escape a witch's den.
Spooky season continues! We start off this episode talking about montage sequences, from the triumphant trainings of Rocky to the twists and turns of the intro to Up. What makes them both practical and engaging? Werewolves make their debut as a late Halloween topic, and we break down to nuances of duality. Join us on this episode of Your Rivers Are Wrong!
Prompt: Describe a montage sequence detailing the beginnings of a superhero!
Merle and Dante tackle prompts, all submitted by you! Enjoy the chaos that unfolds as we improv entire worlds from your suggestions.
It's spoooooky season! We break down our favorite terrifying topics, from the laundry list of essential vampire characteristics, to the terror of something almost human, but not quite. Join us on this haunting holiday on another episode of Your Rivers are Wrong!
Prompt: Build a city or settlement with humans being the minority population.
An unlikely pairing of topics! In our longest episode in a while, we first discuss the odd perks of a barren landscape - how emptiness allows for introspective storytelling, impossible heists, and intense arguments. We branch off into a breakdown of the young adult novel sphere - the impact of an international audience, and the importance of its influence on a maturing generation. All this and more on this episode of Young Rivers are Wrong!
Prompt: Describe a stranger met in a no man's land.
It's tough to be a demigod! Torn between two worlds, we discuss the struggles of the halfway hero, forced to choose between the celestial responsibilities and the humble hometowns. We also talk about the big blue sea! The stories it facilitates, the mighty of a force very much beyond ourselves. Join us for another wonderful episode of Your Rivers are Wrong.
Prompt: Tell me about the sea monster living in the wrong river.
Join us as we go off the deep end and discuss the whosits and whatsits of mermaids! What adds to their mystique, and why are their stories so compelling? We also reflect on the topic of mirrors, and the variety of motifs and storylines that might originate from them. The episode quickly gets a bit unhinged, so hope you can stick around for a fun listen.
Prompt: Detail the origin story of the Mirror Man in Snow White!
From the humble farms of yore to the skyward towers of fortune, your character's gotta come from somewhere! We talk about the origins of one's foundations rooted in the societies they are born into, and how they shape their worldviews and futures.
Prompt: The villain must reluctantly defend their hometown!
Live from the Netherlands, Merle and Dante finally meet in person for a very special episode of Your Rivers are Wrong! After 3.5 years of playing D&D online, we finally get to record face-to-face in a super fun episode detailing the weight of lost memories and the not-so-unique perks of airship stories. Join us for a one-of-a-kind episode!
Prompt: Make a story about something you've just stumbled upon that nobody knows about.
Season 3 starts with some big topics! Ever wanted to play D&D with way more than 5 people? Let's talk about West Marches, a collaborative effort to structure a living world with many storytellers and even more characters. From there, we bounce to discussing groups as a collective force - what separates a man from a mob, and what power comes with numbers? All this and more in the first episode of Your Rivers are Wrong, Season 3!
To satiate your thirst for season 3, join Merle and a special guest none other than Cherry the Human for a lovely live chat about things we want to understand better: clouds (what makes them cloudy, and why is it so hard to explain what they are?) and names (why are they so important and what if you don't have one or feel like yours fits?). We close off by imagining ourselves a world without names and the amazing impracticalities that come with it. Make sure to check out Cherry's amazing work at www.naisyuanye.com!
Season 2 is in the books! Join us as we discuss good and bad finales, what makes a great epilogue, and what it takes to end a story on your terms. Then we delve into improv, a necessary skill for anyone storyteller in the TTRPG space. What are some tricks to use when you're caught off-guard? How much should you really prep? All this and more in the season's last episode of Your Rivers Are Wrong.
What makes a great backstory? Heartbreak? Blank spaces? Tons and tons of pages? The history of a traveling hero is core to the path they come to walk - we break down how backstories are a crucial step in the beginnings of any tabletop RPG. And where's that hero headed? The big city, of course? What makes a metropolis a whole world in itself? We discuss aggressively American food, the big city mentality, and the building blocks of writing a story together. Join us for another episode of Your Rivers Are Wrong!
Prompt: Medieval hero is shunted to a modern cityscape - what do they look like after a year?
Three topics? That's more than two! We stumble our way through topics we love and grew up with. What's the appeal of a fairy's whimsy, or a magical transformation, or a celestial body that we landed on in the recent century? There's a lot to love, to be honest.
Prompt: Make a type of magic based on friendship!
It's our birthday week! To celebrate, we cover a topic near and dear to our hearts, theatre! What makes this medium of storytelling so special and unique in the modern era of TV and movies? And we talk spy movies! Which means a solid segment on cultural touchstones like Sky Kids and National Treasure, and other stuff.
Prompt: What would definitely be in a middle school production of Sky Kids?
A fan request brings us to talk about the wonders of plants! From the clay-potted primroses to the massive vines of Mother Nature, what role does plant-life play in books and cinema? And we'd be remiss to not talk about its modern counterpart, the zombies! Another massive, overwhelming force in story and recent media - why do people enjoy zombie movies, and what gives them their thrill and depth? All this and more on today's episode of Your Rivers Are Wrong.
Today's Prompt: Give life to an inanimate object!
As promised last episode, what's dragon talk without dungeon talk? We break down what makes a dungeon a premiere setting for your storytelling needs, as well as the varying successes of the third installment of books and movies.
Behold, brave warrior! A grand adventure awaits, a treasure at its summit! Steel yourselves, gird your loins, brace for impact, for harsh and frightening is the road ahead! What makes a great quest? What makes them exciting, engaging? Find out on this episode, where we break down the parts of a story worth telling, as we rant like eight-year olds about dragons, and how stones might be mightier than the sword.
Prompt: Add a twist to the Sword in the Stone!
Look, up in the sky! Is it a bird? Is it a flying island? No, it's another episode of Your Rivers Are Wrong! We talk about the classic superhero story, the complex puzzle that is the MCU, and what makes for a hero to root for. Right after, we discuss their animal sidekicks! The plucky, charming, and ever-so-merchandisable companions of every Disney princess and dystopian magical girl series. Why are they there in the first place?
Today's Prompt: Pitch a slice-of-life sitcom about two superheroes whose powers only work when they're together.
What's a king to a god, and a god to a storyteller? Amidst the chaos of a lost wallet and overpriced plants, we explore the role the deities play in our settings, and how to balance the connection between the creators and their people. Right after, we talk timeskips! The value of skipping ahead, and the plotlines gained from not knowing all the details.
Prompt: Create a god!
We did promise an Avatar episode, and this is sort of it! Starting off relatively normal with a discussion about The Muscle of a group, the role character-wise and story-wise of "the strongest" character, we very quickly fall off the rails with a chain of Avatar-related rants. Tune in for a good time!
Today's Prompt: "Describe a city that you can hear before you see."
Alternate Title: Cell Phones and Ziplines
What is nomadism, and why do people live without permanence? Whether due to necessity or personal choice, the life of a perpetual wanderer poses its own challenges and merits. We delve into its role in storytelling, and how the nomad is often the medium through which we view the world. Afterwards we talk tech! How does the level of invention affect a setting, and what sort of stories can be told? We step through a number of fantasy eras to examine the impact of technology on the flow of an odyssey.
Today's Prompt: Invent something that would take the world by storm.
If you could make one wish, what would it be? And to what lengths have you gone to master your craft? Today we ramble on about many things, from traveling in Europe to the Animaniacs to Ferrofluid and everything in between. Join us for another fun episode of Your Rivers are Wrong!
It's pirates! And fire! What more could you ask for? In the wake of the newly released "Our Flag Means Death", we discuss the appeal of a buccaneer's tale and the vibrant yet violent nature of fire. Hop in for a fun episode!
Welcome back for Season 2! We're getting right back to business, discussing the impacts of currency on culture, and how the fourth wall can make or break stories. If you've an idea for a topic, contact us at yourriversarewrong@gmail.com!
The prelude to Season 2 - special guest Josh aka Moonroster joins the podcast for a full episode about building unique characters and, well, sometimes losing them! We address the nuance of writing characters without knowing their fates, and how that differs from those written in one-author literary media. The prompt at the end has us building a five-minute character, so stick around for that too!
Josh's stream can be found at https://www.twitch.tv/moonroster, give him a visit!
Our contact! yourriversarewrong@gmail.com
Thanks so much for tuning in! There are so many more stories to tell, and yet more worlds to build. See you all again soon!
"He takes a deep breath. The air fuels the burning furnace that churns in his core, an aching cry reverberating through his body. The traveler looks to the skies above. He'd been absent for too long, he muses quietly. The blights of his affliction forced him to depart from his home, his people. But now, when they truly needed him, he no longer had the luxury to hide. The flames continued to burn, trails of orange luminescence tracing the veins beneath his skin. A roar of embers brakes the silence as two massive wings, entirely alight, stretch from his back. The sky calls to him once more, and finally, only this once, would he answer."
In literature and in life we speak of inner demons...but what if those demons could speak back? Is corruption an opposing weight on the soul, or simply a manifestation of one's inequities? In our final episode of season one, we discuss the entrapping caveats of corruption, and inversely, the freeing aspects of flight and why we so revel in it.
Today's prompt: A ferry carries people who will mostly surely die, but the ferryman decides who completes the journey.
Stick around for the prompt, it's a fun one!
A bit thrown off-kilter from Daylight Savings, tune in as we talk about cool things like, what makes the world of Pokémon so popular? And what makes for an amazing ending to a book, movie or TV show? A pretty light-hearted episode with a dramatic finish. All here at Your Rivers are Wrong!
Music Credit: "Night on the Docks" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
"A horn sounds in the distance. The black of the screen breaks in the middle to reveal the whites of clouds accented against a clear blue sky. The camera sweeps downwards, revealing a stunning landscape of mountains and fields, traced with roads that link the villages like strands of yarn. Of course, the crown of this land rests in the center, with ivory-white walls and gleaming gates. The kingdom of Kastell, the narrator proclaims grandly, is where are story takes place, and where it all began."
What makes a great beginning? Whether it be a movie, book or even a song, the first few moments of all of these has to grab the attention of its witness. We talk about the difference between slow and running starts, exposition and mystery. And we talk about kingdoms! The ever-so-classic setting starter, where a story is always waiting to unfold. All that and more on this episode of Your Rivers Are Wrong!
Worldbuilding Prompt: Write a chase scene, but only half of it!
"The sound of metal ringing against stone reverberates through the open air. Winds howl around the climber, chilling them even through many layers of clothing. She grits her teeth, fastening the piton into the cliffside crevice, preparing to pull herself just a few feet higher. Only hundred more to go, she thought quietly, glancing towards the quickly setting sun in the horizon. Would she make it, or would the beasts of dusk descend upon her before she finds her refuge. Another tug to fasten the rope around her waist. There wasn't a second to waste."
Today, two sleep-deprived hosts talk about the foundations of worldbuilding in the most famous landmark in any fantasy settings, as well as working under a crunch time. Join us in our delirium in another fun episode of Your Rivers Are Wrong.
When a deep dive goes too deep! From writing women in literature, beauty standards, character bleeds and roleplaying advice, we bounce through a trove of topics tied to the bottomless hobby of storytelling. Celebrating ten episodes and three years since our first D&D campaign, join us as we take a trip down memory lane and sort out what we've learned along the way.
"The pair stepped away from the shadows of the palm trees into a marketplace audaciously warm and vibrant, every color accented by a pair of sounds and scents. Every corner of space demanded attention, a plea to togetherness that only a tightly-knit community could provide. For the first time in weeks, the elves lowered their hoods and walked the foreign streets as enamored guests. They looked at each other, small smiles worn on their faces. Perhaps here, they thought; perhaps this was where they could finally call home."
Romance - every story's gotta have it, right? Whether it be at the forefront or stepping along as a sideplot, we discuss what makes for a compelling love story. Afterwards, we tackle the topic of real-life cultures in fantasy settings, and how to handle the intersection between fact and fiction. All that and more on this episode of Your Rivers Are Wrong!
"Seven runes separated the dungeoneers from the treasure of a lifetime. It was an ancient language, older than the history of their archives, but not beyond recognition. The dwarf traced the sigils with her fingertips. Primordial? Sylvan? No, the accents that hung above each rune indicated otherwise. She muttered a few words under her breath, lifting her fingers to the sky, tracing sigils of her own in a luminous blue. The spell took hold, and her eyes glowed a similar sapphire. She glanced at the runes once more. Ah, it was Draconic. Naturally."
Languages and magic both stand the test of time as essential elements in fictional histories. Languages are often a key to the past, a blueprint for the understanding of foreign cultures unlocked only by the most studious of minds. Magic is, well, magic, presented in a myriad of different ways to otherwise shape the foundation of society as a whole. How can we as worldbuilders utilize them to define our creations, their limitations and possibilities? Tune in to find out.
"The brooding wanderer pulls at his coat, bracing for the incoming chill. A swift wind challenges him, buffeting the traveler with an onslaught of ice. He steps slowly through the growing layer of snow towards a destination in the distance. Where was he going? Somewhere? Anywhere? It didn't matter; so long as they had differences irreconcilable, he could never again stand by the side of his most loyal friend. Besides, it was time he stepped out of that great shadow. Things were better this way...right?"
What's a lancer, and what crucial role do they play in every story? And how does the weather shape a scene so dramatically, for better or worse? All this and more in today's episode of Your Rivers Are Wrong.
What makes a great villain? How do antagonists turn evil into appeal, and win over their audience? We also turn to Merle, our resident cartography expert, to break down the pieces of a perfect map, and the delicate balance between purpose and realism. Join us for another very fun episode of Your Rivers Are Wrong!
"You find yourself alone, standing at the top of a hill overlooking the vast fields of green laid out before you. A hearty breeze rolls over the landscape, the grass rippling like gentle waves flowing eastward. The town in your mind's eye was a few days away, on foot at least - may as well enjoy the scenery on the way there."
What are dreams, and how do we make sense of them? Can we? What is often a mystery to us is a potent literary tool in every author's back pocket, to craft with absolute freedom. We also discuss the blessing of empty spaces, in stories often too frenetic to allow peace and introspection. All this and more in this week's episode of Your Rivers Are Wrong.
The music swells, a single spotlight falls on a well-dressed actor, who looks to the audience in reverence. A single note hangs from the violin, stretching a moment into minutes, as the audience waits with bated breath for the performer's first words.
How does music mold our perception of a story? Whether it be movies, audiobooks, musical soundtracks, the track that plays in the background often shapes what the listener feels. And how does the central character of the story change our perspective on the greater world at large? All that and more on this episode of Your Rivers Are Wrong.
"The bell rings, and the swell of voices and pattering footsteps fill the halls like the opening of flood gates. Backpack slung over your shoulder, you jostle your way to your next class, navigating the corridors of a grand but familiar building, hoping to find some reprieve from the messy, confusing, and wonderful time that is the few fleeting minutes between classes."
What's the appeal of an academia-based setting, and why do we love reading about it? And how does pulling a story down to the simplest of settings help it truly flourish? All that and more on this week's episode of Your Rivers Are Wrong.
New day, new year, new format! Today we break down what it's like to start creating a world, from its first village to the sky-searing pantheon. How do you get your story off the ground? Well, turns out you need a place to tell it.
The first of many! Before we tackle the vastness that is the creative space of worldbuilding, we have to tackle the #1 question that comes with the hobby: what is D&D? Well, it's a lot of things. Let's talk about it.