#21 It’s A Conspiracy!

#24 The Osmosis of Cults

Content warning: mention of domestic abuse and abuse culture in our Ant-Man discussion, mention of violence during our cults discussion including reference to mass suicide and murder. Things get weird in this episode as we chat about cults. What are they? Who makes them? And what would our roles be if we joined (or started) a cult? All this and more in our latest batch of rambling inanity. 2:30 ‘Nam Sayin’ G We discuss Ant-Man, Hank Pym, and the character’s legacy, and Dziugas tells us about Ant-Man and The Wasp. We also rag on Michael Douglas and chat about the weird “psycho woman” film trend of the ’80s. Zainabb eats a chocolate lollipop while we complain about Forrest Gump and Robert Zemeckis. Zainabb started watching The Haunting of Hill House, which actually gets scary (update: it’s less scary after episode three). Then we talk about horror films and horror comics, including The Immortal Hulk and Sandman. 56:39 Cults We try to define what a cult is, and what different types of cult exist. We talk extensively about our own theoretical cults and whether we would be good cult leaders. And what draws people to join a cult? How do cults work to foster a following and a group mentality? We also talk about how cults operate within a broader social context, including community organising and party politics. 2:18:49 Raptors vs Terrorism We look for dinosaur cults and we are not disappointed. Got a question or want to join in on the discussion? Contact us on our website or get in touch on Twitter @SpaceWizardsPod OR @ZainabbHull OR @DMdeezy – or all three, if you’re super hardcore.

#23 That’s 23, Man

Content warning: mention of sexual harassment and mention of animal abuse in the update on travelling; discussion of Nazis, white supremacists, racist and gendered violence including mention of sexual assault in Green Room section; and a lot of chat about white supremacy and institutional marginalisation in the rest of the episode. Zainabb is back from running off into the desert so we do our longest ‘nam sayin’ G yet (reprise). Get prepped for long discussions about Japanese cinema, Nazis, the media, museums and decolonisation. 6:21 On travelling Zainabb talks about their attempts to decolonise their travel whilst away, plus challenges faced alongside the good stuff (like cockroaches!) 25:45 Akira Kurosawa We talk about Kurosawa’s influence and legacy, as well as hit flicks Rashōmon and Seven Samurai. We chat misogyny, spaghetti westerns, and the Most Beautiful Man In The World, Toshiro Mifune. <3 We also talk about Gate of Hell, which is very pretty. 50:10 Green Room and Nazi Gangs Dziugas watched Green Room by Jeremy Saulnier, a slasher film about Nazis that gets us chatting about gangs, media representation of white supremacists vs BAME kids in gangs, and the eternal bullshit of Nazi sympathisers. Dziugas also offers a quick update on Elementary, a progressive television beacon in today’s sociopolitical hellscape. 1:14:26 Video Gaming Updates We continue our chat about fascists by discussing L.A. Noire, a video game about pigs and nonsense. Zainabb has been playing Ni No Kuni which continues to heal souls and cure all ills with its purity and beautiful animation. 1:21:00 Who Gets To Tell Our Stories? Zainabb had to bail on reading Alif the Unseen, a story written by a white person about the Arab Spring but also focussing on a mixed-race character, for some reason. We chat about why it’s not always a good idea to write experiences that aren’t your own (or close enough), and how power dynamics impact the conversation around “who should tell whose stories”. We talk about Luke Cage, Staying Power, and white supremacy within creative industries and academia. Zainabb also chats about making academia more accessible, and touches on Frantz Fanon and “post”-colonialism. 1:52:52 Museums and Cultural Institutions We chat about British museums, galleries, and other cultural heritage institutions. We discuss how marginalised people, especially POC, are excluded from these institutions, and what we can do to help QTIPOC be recognised within these spaces. We talk about institutions’ history of colonial theft and appropriation, and how we can include POC within these spaces whilst also holding the spaces accountable. Also, Dziugas has an amazing story about a theft at the Natural History Museum that will probably improve your life. 2:09:30 Raptors vs Terrorism We have a haphazard Raptors vs Terrorism section where Dziugas chats about dinos in the new World of Warcraft expansion. Sadly, no Liopleurodon but we do talk about what dinosaurs we’d ride in the dino apocalpyse. Got a question or want to join in on the discussion? Contact us on our website or get in touch on Twitter @SpaceWizardsPod OR @ZainabbHull OR @DMdeezy – or all three, if you’re super hardcore.

#22 The Mummy

Content warning: mention of fat-shaming in Queer Eye, mention of abuse in Fun Home, mention of Nazis at the end of our Stonehenge chat, discussion of racism and colonialism/imperialism in The Mummy and our discussion around Egypt Zainabb is running into the desert so in our last episode for A While, we chat The Mummy, decolonising travel, and Brendan Fraser. Also, tune in to hear our longest Space Wizards yet, and both of us sincerely believe this is our 23rd episode (it’s not, it says #22 right there) which is definitely not 23, man. 5:10 ‘Nam Sayin’ G Zainabb adds to the Queer Eye discussion on the last episode, discussing how the show asks (mostly) cishet white men to do better and to pick up the emotional labour that women in their lives are currently doing. We also chat a bit about television’s problem with fat-shaming, body-shaming, and talking about fashion. We chat about YouTube, webseries, and why we struggle to keep up with it all. We both went to see the Fun Home adaptation at the Young Vic and we cried a lot. It’s queer, it’s emotional, and it’s a musical. We chat about what the play/comic mean to us. Zainabb speaks about the eternal struggle of being a QTPOC and the joy of being in a space, for once, that felt inclusive. 51:54 Nom-sense We eat dinner and talk around our munching. We chat about X-Men: Apocalypse and how it wasted Mohawk Storm; the raccoon who loses their candy floss; and we have a long talk about Dziugas’s birthday trip to Stonehenge, magic and ancient apocalyptic artefacts, and how Britain navigates its relationship with paganism, druids, and Christianity. The article Dziugas mentions about Lithuanian collaboration with the Nazis is here: https://www.salon.com/2018/07/14/my-grandfather-didnt-fight-the-nazis-as-family-lore-told-it-he-was-a-brutal-collaborator/ 1:24:53 The Mummy We discuss 1999 Brendan Fraser classic, The Mummy, and why it’s a feminist classic and one of the earliest representational films in Zainabb’s childhood. We chat the horror, the aesthetics, whiteness, and masculinity in the original, and we touch on the trashier The Mummy Returns and The Scorpion King. We also talk about Ancient Egyptian mythology, cats, and Othering brown and black ancient history. Zainabb also shares some thoughts on decolonising travel and their upcoming trip to Egypt. Got a question or want to join in on the discussion? Contact us on our website or get in touch on Twitter @SpaceWizardsPod OR @ZainabbHull OR @DziugasMatas – or all three, if you’re super hardcore.

#21 It’s A Conspiracy!

We get deep about conspiracy theories, reality, and psychology… or do we? Listen to our definitely human voices talking about definitely theoretical things. 2:10 ‘Nam Sayin’ G Zainabb is watching The Bold Type and discusses its representation of queer women and coming out, black women, and the harmful capital construct of the ‘millennial hustle’. Dziugas watched the second season of Search Party, a show about insufferable hipsters. Zainabb watched Queer Eye and has many thoughts on the show’s staged acceptance, fat-shaming, and judgemental consumerism. We chat about The Death of Stalin, its old white man approach to humour, and the concerning support for authoritarianism on the left. And finally, something positive: Zainabb saw Little Forest, a delightful cosy Korean film about food, nature, and personal growth. 1:12:00 Raptors vs Terrorism Zainabb saw Jurassic World 2 and it wasn’t good, nor did it feature raptors fighting terrorism. Also, the trailers are a lie. 1:17:04 Conspiracy Theories We discuss all things conspiratorial… or do we? We talk about what conspiracy theories are, some of our favourite ones, and why people believe in conspiracy theories. Zainabb finally makes use of their Psychology degree to chat about why some people are more likely to believe in theories than others, plus we get deep about the nature of our reality, how we can’t really know anything for sure, and why MRAs and fascists are actually just conspiracy theorists. Got a question or want to join in on the discussion? Contact us on our website or get in touch on Twitter @SpaceWizardsPod OR @ZainabbHull OR @DziugasMatas – or all three, if you’re super hardcore.

E3 2018

Join us in our annual recap of E3 as we chat about the games that caught our interest, Kojima hijinks, and whether E3 really matters at all. 0:53 ‘Nam Sayin’ G Zainabb watched Blue Valentine, a romantic drama that’s actually not very romantic at all. (cw: discussion of abuse and abusive relationships) We chat about The Expanse, its disappointing representation of women and neurodivergent folx, and the problems with fridging. 25:46 E3 2018 We chat E3 2018, the games, the vibes, and whether E3 means anything to us any more. Titles we discuss, in order: Fallout 76, Sea of Thieves, Skull and Bones, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Anthem, Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher, Death Stranding, Starfield, The Elder Scrolls VI, Elder Scrolls: Blades, Sable, Little Dragons Cafe, (Nintendo, in general), (PC vs console gaming), Maneater, Sea of Solitude, Twin Mirror, Beyond Good and Evil 2, Ubisoft’s conference, The Division 2, and Elijah Wood’s VR game. Got a question or want to join in on the discussion? Contact us on our website or get in touch on Twitter @SpaceWizardsPod OR @ZainabbHull OR @DziugasMatas – or all three, if you’re super hardcore.