PODCAST · arts
Dissecting Dragons
by J.A. Ironside & M.E. Vaughan
Authors J.A. Ironside and M.E. Vaughan talk about books, films and all aspects of speculative fiction, from the nuts and bolts of writing it, to its (occasionally) obscure origins.
Episodes
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Episode 466: The Better Angels of Our Nature - 2025 in Review
2025 has felt like a bit of a slog for many people - including, at points, the dragons. But despite that, and despite some longstanding terrible events in the News, lost of amazing things have happened this year. As has become tradition, Jules and Madeleine take a look a selection of 'good news'...
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Episode 465: Tinsel and Time Loops - Temporal Chaos at Christmas
On the surface, you probably wouldn't immediately think of time travel when you think of Christmas stories, and yet there is a distinct connection which is hard to deny. Nor does it date to when Dr Who regularly began to deliver Christmas special episodes - it goes far further back than that. For...
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Episode 464: Krampus The Grinch and Holiday Mischief - Why Christmas Needs Villains
Every enduring Christmas story has a villain woven in somewhere - whether that's King Herod in the nativity or Ebenezer Scrooge, the Grinch of Hans Gruber in Die Hard. Whether the audience is rooting for huge redemption arc or waiting for the bad guy to take a nosedive off the Nakatomi Plaza,...
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Episode 463: A Season of Giving - Gifts as Plot Devices in Speculative Fiction
Sliding towards the festive season, Jules and Madeleine take a look at gifts. Everyone loves a present, right? But what does a present actually signify? Are they always good things or can they be sinister or manipulative? From fae gifts to mystical burdens, the dragons take a deep dive into the...
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Episode 462: Beauty is a Beast - the Problem with Ugly Characters in Speculative Fiction
'Ugly' is a subjective term, of course. Tastes vary and opinions are heavily influenced by how we perceive someone or how much we like them. However, there are plenty of characters in speculative fiction who even on the page do not fit the parameters of being conventionally physically attractive....
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Episode 461: The Girl with a Sword - strong female characters and the death of nuance
Moving slightly away from spooky season and weird folklore, the dragons are clocking in with a writing episode. At the moment, Romantasy is the biggest whale splashing around in the sea of fantasy, partially drowning out other subgenres (at least temporarily). While romantasy is a lot of fun…
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Episode 460: Folklore of the Forgotten - Mythic Creatures Born From Obsolete Jobs
How many jobs and professions have existed over the centuries which we now no longer know anything about? Who thinks about warreners and coopers? Fowlers and knocker-ups? And yet this now unnecessary work lingers in surname origins and in the strange tales that grow up around these jobs. This…
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Episode 459: The Ghost in the Machine - Folklore Meets Firmware in Speculative Fiction
Still in the spooky zone, this week Jules and Madeleine take a look at the fascinating phenomenon of folklore being created in real time. There have always been parallels between technology and superstition, magic and science. As technology moves further into the non tangible realm of digital...
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Episode 458: The Mummy Unwrapped - Bandaged Horror to Unlikely Romantic Hero
As far as the dragons are concerned it's still spooky season and this week, they are featuring one of the most beloved 'universal monsters' - the Mummy. From Ancient Egypt to Victorian obsession to post war film era, the Mummy has been a symbol for secrets and forbidden knowledge, often…
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Episode 457: The Graveyard Shift - Nightmares Sleep Paralysis & Dreamscapes in Folklore and Modern Horror
Sleep - something so mundane we do it around eight hours out of every twenty-four - makes a great vehicle for horror. Judging by folkloric record and cross cultural points of similarity, it's been part of horror for millennia. From old hag syndrome to nightmares to the simple but essential...
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Episode 456: Haunted Attics & Cursed Kitchens - the Paradoxical Terror of the Mundane
This week's spooky season offering dives past the whole haunted house experience to go deeper. What if the haunting was more specific? An attic or cellar is well known trope, but what about a playground? A nursery? A clock or a mirror? What do those things say about the state of the main...
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Episode 455: Tangle Bottles & Bone Charms - Everyday Magic in Folklore & Fiction
It's time for episode three of the dragons' spooky season extravaganza and don't be deceived by the title. Folk Magic can go to some pretty dark places... This week, Jules and Madeleine take a look at a magic system that relies on mundane objects and folk knowledge. In fact this type of magic is,...
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Episode 544: The Uninvited Guest - Unseen Entities and Invisible Fear in Myth and Modern Horror
Continuing their spooky season, this week the dragons pose a question: what's more frightening? The object of terror can see or the entity you can't? A fear of non tangible threats is baked into the essential human make up - we would hardly have survived to evolve as we have if our ancestors had...
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Episode 453: The Outsider - When the Gothic meets the Contemporary
The dragons are back just in time for spooky season. They are naturally kicking off their favourite season with a new slant on and old favourite subject - the Gothic. But what exactly do 'outsiders' have to do with Gothic literature? As it turns out, quite a lot. Jules and Madeleine take a joyful...
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Episode 452: A Bull on the Tongue - 10 years of Writing
Approximately ten years ago, both dragons signed their first publishing contracts. Since then it's been a riotous series of highs and lows and new adventures - including the creation of this podcast. This week, Jules and Madeleine look back over the last decade. Would they have written their…
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Episode 451: The Work place dystopia - The soul crushing reality of the modern workplace in SFF - part 2
Part Two of a Two Part Episode Continuing on from last week's examination of how depictions of the work place in fiction have transitioned over the decades from daily grinds where hard work will reward the worthy to places where you can find fun and family (if you're a team player) to recent...
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Episode 450: The Work place dystopia - The soul crushing reality of the modern workplace in SFF
Part one of a two part episode Sci-fi and fantasy have portrayed many workplace settings over the decades - engineers and pilots on space craft, for example, or fairy smiths and kitchen witches in fantasy. However while fantasy has been leaning into the idea of leaving unfulfilling work and…
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Episode 449: The Crumbling Castle - Disney's Downward Spiral
Disney, purveyors and creators of magical family friendly (mostly) entertainment have existed through an interesting and checquered 9 decades. The company is responsible for some of the most beloved fairytale retellings and pioneered the animated feature film. However, it's not all magic kingdoms...
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Episode 448: Unbelievably Popular - why do bad books become best sellers?
Have you ever picked up a book, full of anticipation, only to quit 100 pages in? Or maybe you read the whole thing and were left annoyed and baffled when you reached the end? Welcome to the baked in cognitive dissonance of the bookish community. Uber hyped books can turn out to be...bad. Not just...
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Episode 447: Wit & Readability - 250 years of Jane Austen
If you've noticed all the celebrations, new editions of Austen's work, new adaptations and not a few arguments over issues which seem to amount to 'who's the biggest fan?' then you may have an inkling that it is a major Jane Austen landmark this year. Celebrating the 250th year since Jane…
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Episode 446: Getting Your House in Order - Writing as a Career or a Serious Side Gig
Making a living from writing comes with practical considerations which the actual creative process doesn't prepare you for (probably). This week Jules and Madeleine delve into how to be a healthy creative ( spoiler alert: sleep is really important), what you need to consider when planning your...
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Episode 445: No More Mr Nice Guy - the Geek Misogynist in Speculative Fiction Part 2
Part 2 of a 2 part episode. This week, Jules and Madeleine return to the 'nice guy' trope. A trope that probably started with good intentions but soured quickly. Can this trope affect perceptions in real life? If so, how far does that go? Can you write a genuinely nice guy? And what is the 'nice...
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Episode 444: No More Mr Nice Guy - the Geek Misogynist in Speculative Fiction part 1
The dragons are back! Join us for an exciting season delving into new writing topics and speculative fiction takes. This week, Jules and Madeleine take a look at the 'nice guy' trope. While the term is relatively new, the character type is not, cropping up in Shakespeare, Austen and even in...
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Episode 443: 2024, the Real Life Experience - A Year in Review
As we bid adieu to 2024, the dragons are once again looking back on a year of news. There have been some definite low points, however there has also been a lot of good news this year which may have gone unremarked. Jules and Madeleine are redressing that balance with a selection of good news...
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Episode 442: The Witches of Midwinter - Following the Wild Dance and Furious Hosts of Christmas
It's that time of year again: frantic last minute shopping, swearing at rolls of Sellotape, covering fir trees with bling....and the dragons emerge with a festive folkloric offering that adds a bit of shadow to the season. This year Jules and Madeleine take a look at the strange relationship...
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Episode 441: Remaking the 80s - Rewriting Classic Films for a Modern Audience
There are few phrases as bedight with dubious associations as 'for a modern audience'. In terms of storytelling, are we saying that the original story was flawed? That tends not to go down well with fans of the original. Or, conversely, does the phrase mean that a modern audience is somehow...
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Episode 440: The Devil's Music - the Occult, Rock'n'Roll and Storytelling
Music has a peculiar relationship with the supernatural, and no branch more so than the occult. Certain musical genres have a long association with the devil, both in folklore and urban legend. But why is that? Where did those stories originate? And how has this shaped modern horror and SFF? This...
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Episode 439: It Grows in Darkness - Mushrooms in Horror and SFF
From devices of comedy to alien antagonists to symbols of deep seated corruption, mushrooms and fungi make strangely appropriate side characters. They are used as set dressing, as indicators of other realms and as terrible weapons. Appropriately, they have woven tendrils so firmly through fiction...
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Episode 438: Jeeves Blackadder and Puss - Canny Domestics and Sneaky smart servants
On a lighter note this week, the dragons delve into a well loved trope which has its origins in folk and fairy tales, shifting and adapting for audiences over the centuries to reflect the socio economics of the time. The clever servant-foolish master dynamic is one which is still enjoyed today,...
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Episode 437: Popular, you're gonna be popular - or are you? - Why Stage Production Musicals Often Fail on the Big Screen
It's no secret that the dragons are fans of musicals, so they should be delighted by all the film adaptations of popular stage shows, right? Well, that's not entirely the case. There are a variety of reasons why a stage production may not work as a film and vice versa, not withstanding any…
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DD 436: The Tiffany Problem - When Reality is too real for Speculative Fiction
It's pretty well established that truth is stranger than fiction, but what do you do when the facts are literally too unlikely for a reader to swallow? When historical accuracy or authenticity is likely to bounce your reader out of your story for being unrealistic? Welcome to The Tiffany Problem....
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Episode 435: Snatchers surfers and Hitchers - Bodysnatching in Speculative Fiction
Possession is a regular trope in horror and sci-fi. The idea that a physical body could be taken over by an external entity is as disturbing as it is enticing. However, there are many sub categories of this kind of bodysnatching, from parasites that physically puppeteer to Freaky Friday-esque…
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Episode 434 -The Allure of the Curse - Speculative Fictions Oldest Trope
Generations of a family punished for the ill-advised actions or an ancestor? Crossed paths with the sidhe and worded an answer impolitely? Fallen foul of someone's desire for revenge? Chances are, in speculative fiction, the problem will turn out to be a curse. It may not really be the oldest...
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Episode 433: The Woods, the Mountains and Emptiness - an Examination of Survival Horror
Continuing with the spooky season, this week the dragons delve into the popular sub genre of survival horror. While you could argue that the point of every horror story is survival, this sub genre takes it to the next level with characters pitted against nature, the wild and even space…
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Episode 432: Haunt Sweet Home - How to Write a Haunted a House
The dragons kick off spooky season with a look at one of the staples of horror - the haunted house. It's so ubiquitous now that haunted house stories are really a sub genre in their own right with their own tropes and conventions. So why do some haunted house stories work while others fall flat?...
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Episode 431: This is Fine - Writing Trauma in Scifi and Fantasy part two
Part two of a two part episode Most speculative fiction will involve traumatising your main character at some point but how do you make it clear to a reader or viewer that this is what is happening without ponderously 'telling' it? What narrative techniques can be employed to show this instead?…
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Episode 430: This is Fine - Writing Trauma in Sci-fi & Fantasy
Part one of a two part episode Most speculative fiction will involve traumatising your main character at some point but how do you make it clear to a reader or viewer that this is what is happening without ponderously 'telling' it? What narrative techniques can be employed to show this instead?…
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Episode 429: All in the Details - How to Use Description in Speculative Fiction part 2
Part 2 of a 2 part episode Following on from last week's over view episode, this week Jules and Madeleine get, appropriately, into the details of what to include or exclude when writing and worldbuilding. Speculative fiction can, by it's very nature, require extensive world building which in turn...
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Episode 428: All in the Details - How to Use Description in Speculative Fiction part 1
Part 1 of a 2 part episode The dragons are back and gearing up for spooky season. This week, Jules and Madeleine take a look at the thorny issue of 'details'. Speculative fiction can, by it's very nature, require extensive world building which in turn requires plenty of detail. But how do you…
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Episode 427: The Boys are Back in Town - the Dark Heart of the Superhero Genre
Please note this episode contains spoilers for all the shows and books mentioned! It's the human in superhuman which is the interesting aspect of the superhero genre, which is why the genre is so good at holding up a dark mirror to the worst aspects of humanity as well as being aspiration. This...
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Episode 426: Change, Uncertainty and Unhappiness - making low stakes compelling
Not every story can be or needs to be high octane intensity. In fact some of the best books are objectively quiet affairs. Low stakes does not mean low story or lack of compelling reading or viewing experience however. This week, Jules and Madeleine take a look at why low stakes can be just as...
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Episode 425: A Thousand Ships - The Awkward Side of Retelling Greek Myths
Myths and stories from the classical world have always been popular inspiring works of art, poetry, books and plays across centuries. Lately, Greek mythology has enjoyed an even bigger revival powered by the era of the 'feminist retelling'. However, while many of these books may be enjoyable...
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Episode 424: Starving Artists and Worshipped Writers - unrealistic depictions of creatives in Film and TV
Every profession has at some point suffered from misrepresentation in fiction, however the inaccurate way writers are often depicted in screenplays is especially ironic. However, the dragons do acknowledge that exaggeration and outright fabrication often make for better storytelling so with that…
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Episode 423: Memory became legend legend became myth - the dawn of the fantasy genre part 2
If you're a long term listener, you'll already be aware that the concept of 'genre' is mostly just a tool to aid categorisation, especially when it comes to selling books. That said, there are points on the timeline that are considered recognised emergence points for specific major genres. This...
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Episode 422: Memory became legend legend became myth - the dawn of the fantasy genre part 1
If you're a long term listener, you'll already be aware that the concept of 'genre' is mostly just a tool to aid categorisation, especially when it comes to selling books. That said, there are points on the timeline that are considered recognised emergence points for specific major genres. This...
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Episode 421: Impossible Monsters - Dinosaurs and Megafauna in Speculative Fiction
Dinosaurs and prehistoric megafauna have been capturing human imagination for centuries. Certain myths may well have been partially shaped by the discovery of dinosaur bones, whilst our progressing understanding of the dinosaurs 180 million year reign and how it ended, has coloured our...
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Episode 420: Never Coming Home - The Moving Beyond Bereavement and Death is a Sad Thing Tropes
Storytelling is a powerful tool for exploring difficult issues - both in terms of catharsis and also at a distance. This is especially true for death and bereavement. While the dragons have discussed grief in speculative fiction before, this week they are examining bereavement as a storytelling...
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Episode 419: The Sun, the Moon & the Spindle - Tracing the Origins of Sleeping Beauty
It's time for another episode in the fairytales in focus series and this week the dragons are delving into one of the best known and (inexplicably?) best beloved. The tale of the Sleeping Beauty has gone through many permutations over the centuries and most likely has an oral tradition that was...
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Episode 418: the Dark Decent - Transforming a Hero into a Villain in SFF
The villain who redeems themself is a highly popular trope, but so is it's mirror and sister trope - the hero who becomes the villain. Operating on the assumption that no one is born 'bad', this trope is an engaging look at how someone might gradually descend into villainy and not even realise...
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Episode 417: An Abundance of Janes and Cathys - Retellings of the classics and why they usually suck pt 2
Nineteenth century novels remain rich fodder both for adaptation and complete reimagining. However, it is rarely as easy as writers and screenwriters believe to strike the balance between respect for the source material, alteration to provide accessibility for a modern audience and presenting the...
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Dissecting Dragons have?
Dissecting Dragons currently has 100 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Dissecting Dragons about?
Authors J.A. Ironside and M.E. Vaughan talk about books, films and all aspects of speculative fiction, from the nuts and bolts of writing it, to its (occasionally) obscure origins.
How often does Dissecting Dragons release new episodes?
Dissecting Dragons has 100 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Dissecting Dragons?
You can listen to Dissecting Dragons on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Dissecting Dragons?
Dissecting Dragons is created and hosted by J.A. Ironside & M.E. Vaughan.
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