Be warned: This Episode contains spoilers for both Sarah J, Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses series (especially A Court of Frost and Starlight). If you don't wish to be spoilified, it may be best to skip this one.
The dragons have discussed the spec fic romantic subplot before. And the shipping of two characters. Let's face it we all want our ships to sail, don't we? But what if two characters getting together romantically is the absolute worst thing that could happen to a series? Narratives are driven by conflict. If you hope to write a six book series but the two MCs get together in book three, that conflict needs to come from somewhere else - and it had better have been set up in book two as a subplot! This week Jules and Madeleine look at favourite sff 'power couples' and where it worked for them to get together as opposed to where it spelled 'death' for the franchise. (There is some overly salty language from Jules here on the latest S.J. Maas novella so gird your loins.) Drawing from their own experience as writers, the dragons discuss how you can eat your cake and have it when it comes to resolving a romantic subplot, as well as the importance of retiring tier one characters to second or third tier in a series when it's time.
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Episode 310: Villainesses and Dense Heroines - the Reverse Harem Trope in Speculative Fiction
Episode 309: False Prophets and Unwanted Messiahs - Examining the White Saviour Trope in Speculative Fiction part 2
Episode 308: False Prophets and Unwanted Messiahs - Examining the White Saviour Trope in Speculative Fiction Part 1
Episode 307: Good News Everyone! - 2021 the Best Bits
Episode 306: Japes and Tricks and Festive Diversions - Traditional Games Played at Yule and Christmas
Episode 305: Skulls and Sheets and Winter Puzzles - The Origins of the Riddle
Episode 304: What If Examining Storytelling by Changing the Pivot Points in Speculative Fiction
Episode 303: Wicked Queens and Nefarious Princes - The Evolution of the Disney Villain
Episode 302: My Only Love Sprung from My Only Hate - the Enemies to Lovers Trope in Speculative Fiction
DD Episode 301: Everyone was Kung Fu Fighting - Martial Arts as a Storytelling Tool in Speculative Fiction
Episode 300: How Not to be a Bad Art Friend - Professionalism and Empathy in Writing
Episode: 299: Who Watches the Watchmen - Gatekeeping in Speculative Fiction
Episode 298: Long Pig & a Nice Chianti - Cannibalism in Fact and Fiction
Episode 297: Of Human Evil - Serial Killers in Fact and Fiction
Episode 296: A Young Priest and An Old Priest - Exorcism in Fact and Fiction
Episode 295: White Ladies and Ghostly Cavaliers - A Selection of Britain‘s Most Haunted Buildings
Episode 294: Crying Boys and Unhappy Mummies - More Cursed Objects in Fact and Fiction
Episode 293: Goblin Fruit and Faery Cobblers - The Horror of Getting What You Truly Want in Speculative Fiction
Episode 292: With Friends Like These - Reunions Reprises and Encores in Speculative Fiction
Episode 291: Absent Saints and Cruel Caretakers - How Parents Shape Characters in Speculative Fiction part 2
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