High Maintenance

Detroit: Become Human - the fandom

A questionably written game gave rise to one of the most exuberant and creative fandoms in recent years. What was going on with the fandom that turned a barely-there character into a beloved fan favorite, filmed an entire feature-length movie, and wrote millions of words about playing with wires in a sexy way? Content notes: The whole episode's about erotic robot fan fiction, so I'm slapping an Explicit label on this. Listen to Amanda's previous, very thorough breakdown of Detroit: Become Human here [https://theredpen.simplecast.com/episodes/episode-8-video-games-are-bad-actually] Show notes here [https://isaacmeyer.net/2022/08/detroit-become-human-the-fandom/] Support the show on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/facingbackward]

Detroit: Become Human - the game

What happens when a writer tries to make oppressed robots stand in for tons of different kinds of real marginalized people in the same story? A confusing, frequently offensive, occasionally interesting mess. Amanda Jean joins the podcast to tackle Detroit: Become Human, a game that tried to make its robots an allegory for everything at once. Content notes: We discuss some real-world atrocities the game alludes to, including the Holocaust, American slavery, domestic abuse, sexual assault, and antisemitism. Listen to Amanda's previous, very thorough breakdown of Detroit: Become Human here [https://theredpen.simplecast.com/episodes/episode-8-video-games-are-bad-actually] Show notes, including some of the scenes we discussed, here [https://isaacmeyer.net/2022/08/detroit-become-human-the-game/] Support the show on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/facingbackward] Tune in next time for our discussion of the game's fandom, which took the game's characters (and a few who barely appeared in the game) in some unexpected directions.

Westworld (1973)

Cora and Demetria take a trip to a future that's obsessed with the past. Is Westworld a typical 70s western, or is it a twisted nostalgia trip through 50s western tropes? Is it saying something about American masculinity, or is it just a story about scary amusement parks? And are these robots even sentient, or just glitchy? Support the show on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/facingbackward]

Midjourney

We’re jumping into AI art creation with Magali. When we generate artistic images with a bot, who’s the real artist? And can we make an art bot draw itself? Get access to Midjourney at this link [https://www.midjourney.com/auth/signin/?callbackUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.midjourney.com%2Faccount%2F%3FcallbackUrl%3D%252Fapp%252F] Show notes with the pictures we generated [https://isaacmeyer.net/2022/07/midjourney/] Magali's art on Tumblr [https://mymidjourney.tumblr.com/] Magali's art on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/my_midjourney/] Support the show on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/facingbackward]

High Maintenance

Author S.A. Chant joins us again to discuss what it's like to write a story about robots. How does the perspective of the point-of-view character change the way we experience science fiction? What does representation mean in a genre full of non-human characters? And where can trans science fiction go from here? Links:  Buy Your Body Is Not Your Body directly from Tenebrous Press [https://tenebrous-press.square.site/product/your-body-is-not-your-body/28?cs=true&cst=custom] Buy Your Body Is Not Your Body on Amazon [https://www.amazon.com/Your-Body-Not-Anthology-Benefit-ebook/dp/B09XLV2K2P] Not a fan of body horror? You can donate directly to Equality Texas [https://www.equalitytexas.org/] Check out S.A. Chant's other excellent books [https://www.amazon.com/Austin-Chant/e/B01NBP20YW?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1654469044&sr=8-1] Support the show on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/facingbackward]