Tropes - narrative devices that characterise particular genres of fiction - are usually good things, afterall what's wrong with giving your readers more of what they want? However the dragons would argue that certain tropes are outdated and potentilly harmful for normlising ot playing for laughs attitudes that really need to be addressed. One such trope is that of the lecherous but otherwise inoffensive (in actions at least) mentor character and all of his ilk. This character is the sly voyuer, the author of unwanted but 'harmless' groping. A particularly prevalent character in anime and comic books. This week sff authors M.E.Vaughan and J.A.Ironside take a look at various examples in speculative fiction, examining what this says about out attitudes to sex and sexual harrassment. On the slab this week; Full Metal Alchemist, Dragon Ball Z, Kushiel's Avatar - Jacqueline Carey and The Thief with no Shadow - Emily Gee, as well as Marvel, DC and other comic book universes as a whole.
Title Music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 54: Frost Giants to Snow Queens - the Frozen Heart of Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 53: The Wizard of Oz to Wicked - Adaptations and Reimagings in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 52: Dragons, Wyverns and Wyrms - Happy Anniversary!
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 51: Happily Ever After - the Evolution of the Disney Princess
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 50: Dreamscapes and Nightmares - Writing the Unconscious
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 49: Barghests, Bogey Beasts and Black Shuck - Black Dogs of the British Isles
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 48: Mermaids, Selkies and Sirens - Legends of the Sea
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 47: 2016 - The Best Bits
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 46: Winter Festivals - Traditions and Stories in the Dark
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 45: Time and Tide and the Rose-tinted Glasses - Our Fascination with the Past
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 44: Writing Sex Scenes - it's not as Hard as You Think
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 43: Standalones to Series - the pros and cons of one-offs and neverending series
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 41: Let us make Men - From Golems to Androids
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 41: Balancing the Real and the Fantastical - Writing Relatable Epic Fantasy
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 40: Strange, Horrible and Who - the Egotism of Genius
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 39: Saints, Souls and Samhain - the Celtic Day of the Dead
Dissecting Dragons:Episode 38: Monsters and Men - Gothic Classics and the Origin of Horror - A Halloween Special
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 37:Breaking Out the F-jar - Our Favourite Swears in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 36: Horcruxs and Heartbreak - of Books, Souls and Killing your Darlings
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 35: Three Goblins Walk into a Bar - Writing Humour in Speculative Fiction and How to Avoid the Accidental Funny.
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