Be The Serpent
Activity Overview
Episode publication activity over the past year
Episodes
Episode 101: Jumping the Shark
07 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
And here you thought that the Twitter announcement on April Fool's Day about our upcoming shark episode WAS the joke! No! The joke is on us because we...
Episode 100: Superstravaganza
01 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we have a two-hour special to answer questions sent in by our darling listeners! Thank you to everyone who has been with us th...
Episode 99: Detective Boyfriends
17 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we're celebrating the release of Freya's debut book by talking about detectives in love! The tentpoles are Of Dragons, Feasts,...
Episode 98: [SPOOKY NOISES]
03 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Happy (slightly belated) spooky season, darling listeners! On this week's episode we're talking about afterlife career plans and... well, ghosts! Tent...
Episode 97: A Symphony of Serpents
20 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we're discussing music! Musicians! Being gripped by the madness of creation! Selling one's soul for art! The tentpoles this we...
Episode 96: Changing Places
06 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we're discussing body swap fic! Swapping bodies! Trading meatsuits! It's all fun and comedy, right? ...Or is it? Anyway, the t...
Episode 95: The Jasmine Throne
22 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode we're doing another deep dive on the marvelously sapphic fantasy novel The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri! What We’re Into Latel...
Episode 94: Into the Woods
08 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, Macey is forcing us to put on our hiking shoes and dragging us out into the forest to look at some "really nice moss." The ten...
Episode 93: The Glamorous Authorial Life
25 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode we're discussing the glamorous authorial life -- authors (and other publishing professionals) through the lens of how they're d...
Episode 92: Podcasting: The Musical!
11 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode, we're bursting into song at socially inappropriate times to talk about... musicals! Our tentpoles are the Bollywood musical Aaja N...
Episode 91: Anything You Can Do, We Can Do Better
28 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode we’re discussing classics rewritten by women! The tentpoles are Unconquerable Sun by Kate Elliott, The Chosen and the Beautif...
Episode 90: Extravaganza
14 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we are once again answering YOUR burning questions, dear listeners! What We’re Into Lately The Hands of the Emperor by ...
Episode 89: A Particularly Heartless Wizard
30 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, we're finally getting around to doing our Diana Wynne Jones Episode! Well, sort of -- it's not exactly a deep-dive. Our tentpo...
Episode 88: Singing a Song of Angry Men
16 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode we are talking about dystopian stratified societies and "layered cities". Our tentpoles this week are An Unkindness of Ghosts by Ri...
Episode 87: Let the Games Begin!
02 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we're discussing those models of decorum and tranquility: Games, and game-adjacent narratives! The tentpoles this week are the...
Episode 86: 9 to 5 (What a Way to Make a Living)
19 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we're discussing jobs, occupations, and vocations, both fantastical and mundane despite the fantastical settings. The tentpo...
Episode 85: Girl Meets House
05 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode, we're getting unseasonably spooky as we talk about Gothic novels! The tentpoles for this episode are Mexican Gothic by Silvia More...
Episode 84: Not With a Bang...
21 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we're talking about postapocalyptic fiction, specifically stories set in the wake of a climate apocalypse. The tentpoles are ...
Episode 83: Space Sweepers!
07 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode we're buckling on our space shoes, picking up our space harpoons, and charging up our space laser guns, because we're doing a deep ...
Epsode 82: On Wednesdays, We Wear Pink
24 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we're getting the gang back together to talk about girl gangs, teen squads, and spooky witchy girls! The tentpoles this week a...
Episode 81: An Apology, and a Collection of Recs
10 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we're discussing a few changes we're making in our approach to the podcast, and we're gushing about some of our favorite recen...
Episode 80: Extravaganza
10 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we're bringing you an extra-long, extra special surprise: We're playing a one-shot of an RPG, using a game system designed by ...
Episode 79: These Newfangled Toys
27 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week we're talking about new technologies, platforms, and formats of storytelling! The tentpoles this week are the first episode of Campaign Skyj...
Episode 78: Baby, Remember My Name
13 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we're discussing celebrity culture, the cost of fame, and three brilliant tentpoles: A Knight’s Tale, Spoiler Alert by Olivi...
Episode 77: Sneks Bless Us, Everyone!
30 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Happy holidays, everybody! On this episode, we're sticking with the theme of the season and discussing holidays in fiction! The tentpoles this week ar...
Episode 76: Structure?? I Don't Even Know 'Er!
16 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, your Serpents were in the middle of National Novel Writing Month, so they used their smart juicy brains and planned an episode...
Episode 75: Bread and Roses
02 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode, we're talking about bards and storytellers! What is art even FOR? The tentpoles this week are Dragonsinger by Anne McCaffrey, “W...
Episode 74: Darling, It's Better Down Where It's Wetter
18 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we're talking about mermaids, sirens, selkies, and other moist ladies who may or may not want to eat your whole face off! Gues...
Episode 73: Game, Set, and Match
04 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we're talking about sports! The tentpoles are Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett, Bend It Like Beckham, and “Thirty Years...
Episode 72: Fangs for the Memories
21 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode, we're getting into that Spooky Season mood and talking about the dreaded VAMPYR. Or vampire, as Macey and Freya insist on pronounc...
Episode 71: Back To School (feat. Naomi Novik)
07 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we're joined by glamorous guest star Naomi Novik to talk about magical boarding schools and the purposes of structured educati...
Episode 70: Extravaganza
23 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we're taking a break to answer questions submitted by our listeners and play a fun game! It's the Extravaganza! \o/ What W...
Episode 69: Nice Nice Nice
09 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we're putting on some mood lighting, we're pouring a glass of wine, and we're talking about some sexy things. And also about s...
Episode 68: Who Wants to Live Forever?
26 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we are pondering the nature of mortality -- and immortality! We're discussing demigods and other sorts of very, very long live...
Episode 67: Toss a Coin to Your Serpents
12 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, Macey gets her feet tangled in her cardigan, Freya tries to convince everyone to submit Extravaganza questions via 5-star iTun...
Episode 66: You Break It, You Bond It
29 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we’re discussing soulmates and soul bonds! Everyone have your assigned buddy? Remember to hold hands so nobody gets lost! Th...
Episode 65: Transfigurations
15 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode we're talking about Harry Potter, the unbearable TERFness of JK Rowling, and the power of fanfic to reclaim and transform problemat...
Episode 64: The Art of War
01 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we're looking at a selection of small scenes from several different pieces of media: The Expanse, Naomi Novik’s His Majesty’...
Episode 63: Hugo Award Slate Review -- Best Novels of 2019
17 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we're doing a whirlwind survey of the six finalists from this year's Hugo Award for Best Novel: The Light Brigade by Kameron H...
Episode 62: Overwhelming Ancestral Nostalgia
03 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode we're kicking back to discuss some of the beloved fantasy books of our youth, including The Circle of Magic series, the Abhorse...
Episode 61: A Time and a Place
20 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we're discussing historical fantasy, and Freya makes a truly brilliant point about what this genre really IS. The tentpoles to...
Episode 60: Extravaganza
06 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, it's time for another extravaganza of questions from our darling listeners! What's Freya's favorite nonfiction book? How quick...
Episode 59: Everybody Wants To Be A Cat
22 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode we're a lil loopy from quarantine, but we're still having fun! We're talking about non-human protagonists this week, with the t...
Episode 58: College Experience 101
08 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to campus, students! It's the episode about college AUs and university settings! On today’s episode, we’re discussing The Student Pr...
Episode 57: We All Fall Down
25 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, we are shifting into a more serious register to talk about plague narratives. In light of the current pandemic, we urge you to check ...
Episode 56: The Title of the Episode
11 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we're diving into a very self-referential discussion of the metatext! Tentpoles this week are the film The Handmaiden, the fa...
Episode 55: There's a Form for That
26 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we're talking about bureaucracies! Macey brought a fun little game so Alex and Freya could use their imaginations! We're also ...
Episode 54: Somewhere Over The Rainbow
12 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, we're discussing portal fantasies! We're yelling about how mad we are at Aslan! We're finding out Freya's middle name! We're talking ...
Episode 53: The Untamed (featuring guest star Ruoxi Chen!)
29 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, the Serpents are welding themselves to their bullshit with the help of a friend, glamorous guest star and kickass editor Ruoxi Chen! ...
Bonus Episode: Strange Horizons Special!!
22 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
WHAT'S THIS? An episode on a Wednesday that isn't an Episode Wednesday!? Yes, it's true! Last year we pitched in to help our esteemed colleagues at St...
Episode 52: Let Us Tell You Our Thoughts on Yaoi...
15 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we're reminiscing about some of our favorite anime and talking a little about how it influenced our writing! The tentpoles for...
Episode 51: How to Romance Your Dragon
01 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, we're talking about dragons, specifically dragons that shapeshift into a hot person so you can kiss them. Well, ok, in one of the ten...
Episode 50: Extravaganza (Agony Aunt Special)
18 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we're playing Agony Aunt to fictional characters! What sort of problems have we been presented with this week, and how many ti...
Episode 49: And I Shall Sit Here Consumed With Lust for the Rest of the Evening
04 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode we're discussing another of our favorite tropes of all time: enemies-to-lovers! The tentpoles are Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat...
Episode 48: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (And Stab Things)
20 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we're talking about female reimaginings and digging into some gender stuff! The tentpoles are rageprufrock’s The Least of A...
Episode 47: Clothes Maketh Man
06 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode we're discussing the use of fashion and clothing in works of deep literary merit! The tentpoles are Shades of Milk and Honey b...
Episode 46: Welcome to Goth Camp
23 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It's the spookiest time of year, so we're talking about a trio of spooky tentpoles! By which we mean Peak Goth Asthetique: Gideon the Ninth, by Tamsy...
Episode 45: Not Your Usual Family Reunion
09 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we're discussing found families! The tentpoles are “Stilinski's Home for Wayward Wolves” by owlpostagain, Monstrous Regim...
Episode 44: Sympathy for the Devil (Live From WorldCon)
25 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Yes! It is here, at last! The recording of our first-ever live show, performed about a month ago at WorldCon in Dublin, Ireland! We're talking about v...
Episode 43: Two Great Tastes That Taste Great Together
11 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode, we're discussing fusions and crossovers! The tentpoles are the first Avengers movie, the fanfic With Fire in Their Eyes by Asuka ...
Episode 42: Comedy, the Universe, and Everything
28 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode, we're discussing what exactly makes things funny. Hardly any dick jokes in this one, folks. (Get it? HARDly? it's a dick joke!) An...
Episode 41: The Democratic Republic of Serpents
14 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, we're talking about politics! It's gonna get.... kind of weirdly emotional. The tentpoles this week are “Corridors of Power” by ...
Episode 40: Extravaganza
31 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
*bangs on pots and pans* It's the Extravaganza! We're answering listener questions and definitely not sneaking in a question or two of our own! This i...
Episode 39: The Serpents' School of Witchcraft and Wizzzardry
17 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, we're talking wizards! We're comparing the magic systems of Brandon Sanderson's The Emperor's Soul and RB Lemberg's "Geometries of ...
Episode 38: A Hugo Award Special -- The Novels of 2018
03 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, we're doing a bird's-eye view of the six finalists from this year's Best Novel ballot of the Hugo Awards! What We’re Into Late...
Episode 37: Emotions Are Hard, Let's Do Murder!
19 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we're discussing ASSASSINS! Tentpoles this week are The Perfect Assassin by K.A. Doore, the television show Killing Eve, and t...
Episode 36: There's No Place Like Home
05 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode we’re discussing magical houses! Are some of them sentient? How do they communicate? Is a haunted house a magical house? The te...
Episode 35: Well, Canaveral, I Don't Think We're in Kansas Anymore
22 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we're talking about space operas.... IN SPAAAAACE. The tentpoles this week are The Tea Master and the Detective by Aliette de...
Episode 34: Misethere
08 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, we're doing a deep-dive on a single tentpole, and we are extremely back on our bullshit. It's time to talk about astolat's Witcher fa...
Episode 33: Turn In Your Badge and Gun!
24 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, we're discussing police procedurals! Who breaks the rules? Who goes by the book? Tentpoles this week are A Private Reason for This b...
Episode 32: Save the McGuffin, Save the World
10 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we're talking about time travel fix-it fics! How sexy can a paradox get? Are there multiple timestreams or just one? Can anyon...
Episode 31: A Podcast of Three Cities
27 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, we're talking about cities so vibrant they might as well be characters in their own right! Our tentpoles are “The City Born Great”...
Episode 30: Extravaganza
13 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It's time for another Extravaganza! This week, we're getting tipsy, answering listener questions, and revealing our brand new Patreon! Please consider...
Episode 29: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Bi
27 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Be the Serpent, we're talking about spies and secret agents, and we speculate about whether they screen for bisexuality in the hiri...
Episode 28: Genderpalooza
13 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Be the Serpent, we're talking about gender, relationships, and the worldbuilding thereof! The tentpoles this week are a selection o...
Episode 27: I'm Not a Lady, I'm a Witch!
30 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Be the Serpent, we're talking about witches! Our tentpoles this week are I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett, “In Which Le...
Episode 26: Alien Fucking, or Where There's a Will, There's A Way
16 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As you may have heard, there's been a slight rearrangement of episode topics, due to the fact that the audio of our original recording of Episode 26 (...
Episode 25: Kill Your Darlings
02 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Be the Serpent, we're talking about character deaths in fiction. In other words: MURDERRRRRRRRR. The tentpoles this week are "Freed...
Episode 24: The Room Where It Happens
19 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, the Serpents take a break from reading things to debrief about how their projects for National Novel Writing Month went! What We...
Episode 23: Drastically Redefining Protocol
05 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, the Serpents were in the middle of National Novel Writing Month, so we settled in for a cozy chat about just one tentpole, one of our...
Episode 22: Out of Cheese, Error, Redo from Start
21 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode we're talking about Groundhog Day AUs! We're discussing the original trope-namer, the 1993 movie Groundhog Day; the Yuri!! On I...
Episode 21: Believing the Little Lies
07 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, we're back on our bullshit to talk about worldbuilding with mythology. Our tentpoles this week are Alexandra Rowland's A Conspiracy o...
Episode 20: Extravaganza
24 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
It's time for another Extravaganza episode! This week we're taking a fantastic selection of listener questions and trying to pressure Freya into makin...
Episode 19: You and Me and Our Boyfriend Makes Three
10 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Be the Serpent, we're discussing OT3s (One True Threesomes). After all, it's twentygayteen, people! Give us more polyamory in canon...
Episode 18: Heist, Heist, Baby
26 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Be the Serpent, we're talking about heists and thieves and how much we love them. We almost called this episode "Sticky Fingers, St...
Episode 17: A Bump in the Night (The Sexy Kind)
12 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Be the Serpent, we're talking about sex -- why we write about it, why we read about it, and more. Our tentpoles this week are Kushi...
Episode 16: A Bump in the Night, and Not the Sexy Kind
29 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Be the Serpent, we're talking about some creepy stuff! Guest star Ryan Boyd, of the horror podcast Rank and Vile, joins us to discu...
Episode 15: My (Psychic, Firebreathing) Little Pony
15 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, we're talking about horse books! It's just that a lot of the horses in these horse books have wings... and... breathe fire... so yeah...
Episode 14: Once Upon a Something
01 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Be the Serpent, we're discussing fairytales: how do they work, what purpose does their beauty and terror serve, and why are they so...
Episode 13: Machiavellian Overthinkers
18 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Be the Serpent, we're discussing some of our favorite sneaky, conniving little shits and their schemes, both successful and embarra...
Episode 12: Yes, It Goes On and On, My Friends
04 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Be the Serpent, we're talking about our favorite long-form stories -- epic fantasy, extremely long podcasts, and the slowest of slo...
Episode 11: It's All About the Money, Money, Money
20 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Be The Serpent, we're discussing economics-- no wait! Come back! It's going to be fun! Money in fantasy settings, alternative curre...
Episode 10: Extravaganza
06 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
On this special episode, we're not talking about a theme -- we're answering a cornucopia of amazing questions from our darling listeners! It's the one...
Episode 9: Like Rome, But With Lasers
23 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Be the Serpent, we're discussing space empires! We talk a little bit about the history of empires, writerly tips for constructing a...
Episode 8: Once More, With Feelings!
09 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Be the Serpent, we're discussing "Theft of Assets, Destruction of Property" by Helenish, Think of England by KJ Charles, and the te...
Episode 7: Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells the Story
25 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Be the Serpent, we're talking about historiography, propaganda, narrative control, Macey's misspent youth as a frozen meat salesper...
Episode 6: Cross Your Stars and Hope to Bi
11 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Be The Serpent, we're talking about bisexuals in fiction. And because this is us, we have to come up with a taxonomy for them. So j...
Episode 5: O Captain, My Captain
28 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Be the Serpent, we're talking about The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison, Jupiter Ascending, and "Dangerous if Unbound" by Astol...
Episode 4: The Bastard's Lying to You!
14 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Be the Serpent, we're talking about LIAR by Justine Larbalestier, Yuri!! On Ice, "The Women Men Don't See" by James Tiptree Jr, and...
Episode 3: Apocalypse Sometime, Maybe Next Tuesday
28 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Be the Serpent, we're talking about The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison, the Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin, "Sai...