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Jared, Oriana and Ned talk about Ned's choice of topic: cartography. To say that maps help define Middle-earth is to understate; besides the famous map featured in The Hobbit and also given as a key visual element with the book itself, one of two Tolkien drew for it, his own many other maps of Middle-earth he created over time, finalized for publication by Christopher Tolkien both before and after his father's death, establish a visual sense of what Middle-earth ‘looks' like in a broad sense, to the point of spawning numerous atlases, charts and online explorations of that wider world. But then again, cartography in a modern sense is a very Eurocentric proposition, and even the fantasy fiction cartography that Tolkien's maps both drew on and then subsequently influenced in a massive way is very much a product of that wider influence, sometimes in very subtly skewed ways. How do maps function ‘in' Middle-earth themselves, whether as plot device, something referenced casually or even seemingly not needed at all, depending on the character? What about the historical context of the British Empire and the sense of ‘discovering' the world might have fed into Tolkien's own views about how to create his own maps and charts, as much as his own knowledge of medieval manuscripts and maps in turn? How have the various visual interpretations of Middle-earth in other media used maps in turn in their efforts and to what purpose? And how is the long shadow of Middle-earth's maps and their impact being interrogated by creative artists around the world as newer worlds are envisioned and explored? (And yes…we have some initial thoughts on a certain streaming TV series.)SHOW NOTES.Jared's doodle. We cover the Middle-earth globe for you. (When it became a globe.)Look we know, WE KNOW. For now we just recommend Gita Jackson's piece “Whose Fantasy Is This?” Fuck racists and then some.Ned's Twitter threads on the time compression problem in the series with specific regard to Númenor.Jared's Patreon piece on the show a few episodes in.Cartography! It's got a history.The Tolkien Estate's map section on its website.The Tolkien Society's closer look at the annotations that Tolkien wrote for Pauline Baynes regarding her poster map.Jonathan Crowe's two excellent pieces for Tor: “Celebrating Christopher Tolkien's Cartographic Legacy” and “Where Do Fantasy Maps Come From?”Barbara Strachey's Journeys of Frodo and Karen Wynn Fonstad's The Atlas of Middle-earth both remain enjoyable reads, Fonstad's volume being especially key.Crowe's Tolkien entries on his own blog, The Map Room.Stentor Danielson's articles on cartography at the Journal of Tolkien Studies.Sally Bushell's “Mapping Worlds: Tolkien's Cartographic Imagination” from her book Reading and Mapping Fiction (you'll likely need library or academic access to read it directly).Nicholas Tam's “Here Be Cartographers: Reading the Fantasy Map.”The British Library's “What Is a Fantasy Map?”A 1999 New York Times piece summarizing the increasing study and work being done throughout the decade working against the Eurocentric cartographic approach.A 2019 undergrad paper by Luke Maxwell on imperialism and Eurocentrism in fantasy cartography.The 2021 Dream Foundry panel discussion, “Fantasy Maps and Worldbuilding from a Non-Eurocentric Perspective,” archived on YouTube.Our episode on the Red Book of Westmarch, a putative source of the Lord of the Rings maps.There are indeed many online Middle-earth maps and atlases – including as mentioned the Minecraft Middle-earth. Other examples include LOTRProject's Interactive Map of Middle-earth and Arda Maps.On a psychogeographical tip, Nowhere and Back Again might be of esoteric interest.Support By-The-Bywater and its network, Megaphonic, on Patreon. Thanks!
John Lucero and Vanessa Cahill are joined by Luke Maxwell (with a quick appearance by Jason Arriola) to talk about the 2002 remake of Resident Evil. Originally on the GameCube, it would eventually come to consoles that more than 40 people own with a HD remaster. Support us on Patreon! Our logo was created by Vanessa Cahill. […]
Luke Maxwell joins Jason Arriola, Vanessa Cahill, and John Lucero for his first appearance on Multimedia Failure! We’re watching something with The Rock again. Does DOOM hold a candle a Rampage? How has that first person sequence aged? And most importantly, how does The Rock (2005) compare to The Rock (2018) for Vanessa? Support us […]
Conor Mahood and Luke Maxwell are back with another episode of The Movie Express Podcast, this time featuring Body Heat, a discussion of jazz standards and the first in an all new series exploring Philip Marlowe on film. Enjoy! Thanks as ever to Molly Noise for the theme song! Listen Now RSS
Jason Arriola is joined by John Lucero and Luke Maxwell to talk about the Dragon Ball FighterZ beta, Dragon Quest XI, and Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana. The generation of ports continues, PewDiePie should probably shut his piehole, and there was a ton of Nintendo Direct stuff to go over. And here’s the music we used for […]
His 15-year-old hands were shaky on the steering wheel of the family van. Not old enough to legally drive, he stepped on the gas and gained speed. He heart raced, too, but more from dread than excitement, his eyes narrowed with dark zeal. He felt part zombie, part ghost, as though watching from outside himself as the nearest object loomed ahead, rushing toward him – an oncoming car. He yanked the wheel sharply into it, at 60 miles an hour. It was the day Luke Maxwell tried to commit suicide. From that terrible crash came a remarkable “upward bounce” to recovery and restoration. Luke spoke to me about the traits and feelings that indicate clinical depression, including the MMD (major depressive disorder) with which he was diagnosed in the hospital, almost on the spot. Today, at 20, he talks to teens, parent groups, and various conferences about saying no to shame and yes to accepting the help you need if you suffer the scalding effects of depression. Do you know someone who might be depressed? Want to find out how to spot the signs? Listen on… Don’t forget to Subscribe to the show in YouTube, as well as the podcast so you can get the weekly show updates. Please leave an honest review of the show in iTunes or Stitcher. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated!
We did it guys. We really did it. We made it to the this momentous occasion. Podcast number 69! Jason Arriola is joined by Anthony Villaneuva, John Lucero, and Luke Maxwell to talk about what they’ve been playing, Palmer Luckey, the weird daddy issues from Atlus USA, Scorpio, jazz, and video game sites that are […]
This episode, Jason Arriola, Anthony Villanueva, John Lucero, and reporter on the bus Luke Maxwell talk about Berserk and the Band of the Hawk, Night in the Woods, Nioh, and Ys Origin. Not a whole lot going on in the news, so we give that a quick glossing over before Jason has to head out to a bald convention. […]
This week, Jason Arriola, Luke Maxwell, John Lucero, and Franky Ordaz have been playing Resident Evil 7, Dragon Quest VIII, Final Fantasy XV DLC, and more. It seems like it’s all Fire Emblem, all the time for Nintendo. Jason nearly played more than he purchased this week (I’m as surprised as you are). Then we wrap […]
Jason Arriola, Anthony Villanueva, and John Lucero (with a brief appearance by Luke Maxwell) go over their favorite things and biggest disappointments of E3 2016.
Jason Arriola, Anthony Villanueva, and Luke Maxwell wrap up our Final Fantasy VII Game Club.
Jason Arriola, Anthony Villanueva, and Luke Maxwell wrap up the discussion on disc one of Final Fantasy VII. We hit on the heavier moments, the silly side of this game, and how the remake might work. Also, Jason calls Red XIII a lion because he’s an idiot.
Jason Arriola, Anthony Villanueva, and Luke Maxwell reunite as they get rolling on Final Fantasy VII. Could Jason’s hatred for FFVII finally be turned around? Hang around and find out as we talk about it up through Midgar. Oh yes, Gundam quota met.
Jason Arriola is joined by Luke Maxwell and Conor Mahood of The Movie Express podcast to give a little history on the Playstation and talk about some of our favorite Playstation games.
Luke Maxwell from The Movie Express Podcast wanders into our podcast again to warm up our feeble hearts as the American military struggles to cope with the sudden outbreak of world peace and begins to search for younger cannon fodder in the halls of Bayside High. Telenovelas and AI conspiracies for human extinction also feature. Episode: "Zack's War"
This episode, Jason Arriola, Anthony Villanueva, Luke Maxwell, and Scott Romero get together to talk about E3. Things get derailed a lot but we had a lot of fun doing this one. Hang out after the show for some behind the scenes recording that we edited in for your enjoyment.
Luke Maxwell and Eoin Dowling raise anchor and head out to sea in the latest episode of The Movie Express. This time we discuss All is Lost and Deep Water. Turns out the sea is a frightening and fascinating place. Listen Now Subscribe Via iTunes RSS
On this week’s Movie Express our own Luke Maxwell and friend of the show Morgan McBride discuss everything and anything Breaking Bad in light of the show’s recently aired finale. Please be advised spoilers are in effect! Listen Now Subscribe Via iTunes RSS