Podcasts about voldemort

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we discuss episodes four and five of season three, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. After Sirius Black's break in, the air in the castle in intense. Harry plays a quidditch match against Hufflepuff where he sees dementors and the Grimm. He gets the Marauder's map and goes to Hogsmeade where he learns the truth about Sirius. Episode five follows the Marauders at Hogwarts. We watch their relationships grow and develop, and how they go off into the world. We spend the last few minutes from Peter Pettigrew's point of view as he betrays James and Lily. Enjoy!Topics/Summary:·      1:35 Quick recap and the tense atmosphere at Hogwarts. After Sirius broke into Hogwarts, the air in the castle is tense. There's no telling where Sirius could be now, and the illusion of Hogwarts' safety is broken. Snape teaches DADA in Lupin's absence, his first lesson being werewolves. How interesting…·      18:07 Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff. This is the most intense quidditch match to date. Harry and Cedric are battling for the snitch through the impossible storm and cold. Eventually, Harry sees the great Grimm appear in the clouds, and then the dementors flying through the air. He falls from his broom and the screen fades to black.·      32:34 Harry recovers in the hospital wing. He slowly comes to with his team all around him. They bring him the remains of his Nimbus 2000. Lupin is his final visitor. Lupin offers Harry lessons to defend himself against dementors, who agrees. ·      34:45 The Three Broomsticks. Harry gets the Marauder's Map from Fred and George, and he immediately uses it to get into Hogsmeade. He overhears a conversation in the Three Broomsticks where he finds out that it was Sirius who betrayed his parents and got them killed. Harry returns to the castle furious, devastated, and confused. The episode ends with Hagrid telling the trio that Buckbeak has been set for trial. The last shot is Harry staring at the Map in his bed, reflecting on the awful day he has had.·      38:38 We open episode five with James Potter walking through the Hogwarts grounds. The first half of this episode should be spent with James, Sirius, Lupin, Peter, Lily, and Snape. They have a complex series of relationships that make a huge difference for the story to come.·      44:50 They all go off and live their happy lives. We see everyone go off and continue being great friends. However, the whispers of Voldemort are spreading, and soon the conflict arises. We'll take a closer look at the first war in later seasons, but we will visit the wreckage of the Potter's house yet again in this season. Instead of following Sirius afterward, we follow Peter and his guilt. We end this episode with Sirius and Peter's confrontation from Peter's POV. ThePotterDiscussion@gmail.comthepotterdiscussion.comNox

In dieser Folge stellen wir uns gegenseitig Rätsel: Wer oder was passt nicht? Es gibt mehrer Antwortmöglichkeiten und eine davon passt nicht rein - was haben die anderen wohl gemeinsam? Es wird spannend und lustig und am Ende gibts auch noch das beliebte Spiel Legilimens. Es gibt neuen Merch: https://www.seedshirt.de/shop/schokofroescheshopIhr wollt uns FanArt schicken oder Sticker von uns bekommen?Schreibt uns an:Postfach 71053281455 München

Wir wollten unbedingt nochmal ein paar Ships näher betrachten und starten natürlich mit Harry x Ginny (Hinny) - dabei finden wir heraus, wieso die beiden perfekt zueinander passen, aber trotzdem eine sehr unangenehme Beziehung führen. Es gibt neuen Merch: https://www.seedshirt.de/shop/schokofroescheshopIhr wollt uns FanArt schicken oder Sticker von uns bekommen?Schreibt uns an:Postfach 71053281455 München

WHAT AN ABSOLUTELY SHOCKING, EMOTIONALLY DEVASTATING, AND COMPLETELY UNHINGED CINEMATIC TWIST! Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) Full Movie Reaction & Review with Roxy Striar and Jon Maturan! Harry Potter 6 Full Movie Uncut Watch Along:   / thereelrejects   HARRY POTTER and the Order of the Phoenix:    • HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX ...   HARRY POTTER and the Goblet of Fire:    • HARRY POTTER & THE GOBLET OF FIRE MOVIE RE...   HARRY POTTER Prisoner of Azkaban Reaction:    • HARRY POTTER PRISONER OF AZKABAN MOVIE REA...   HARRY POTTER and the Sorcerer's Stone Reaction:    • HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE REAC...   HARRY POTTER and the Chamber of Secrets Reaction:    • HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS (2...   Support The Channel By Getting Some REEL REJECTS Apparel! https://www.rejectnationshop.com/ In this video review and reaction, Roxy and Jon balance the hilarious, chaotic tones of teenage love potions with the dark, suspenseful secret-agent thriller energy of Voldemort's rising shadow. We unpack the incredible performances of the legendary ensemble cast, featuring Daniel Radcliffe (The Woman in Black, Weird: The Alchemist Story) delivering an intensely mature performance as the Chosen One Harry Potter, Michael Gambon (The King's Speech, Paddington) bringing pure regal gravitas as Albus Dumbledore, and Alan Rickman (Die Hard, Love Actually) commanding the screen as the deeply mysterious Severus Snape. We also dissect the incredible, tragic character complexity of Tom Felton (Rise of the Planet of the Apes, The Flash) as a heavily conflicted Draco Malfoy, Jim Broadbent (Moulin Rouge!, Iris) as the memory-hoarding Professor Horace Slughorn, and Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech, Fight Club) as the chaotic Bellatrix Lestrange. Our hosts react to every single unforgettable highlight, from the beautiful cinematography of the opening Death Eater London bridge attack to the pure comedy of Ron Weasley accidentally consuming a powerful love potion intended for Harry. We breakdown the bizarrely hilarious drunken funeral scene for Aragog the giant spider, the raw intensity of Harry using the dangerous Sectumsempra curse on Draco in the bathroom, and the horrifying psychological torment of the cave sequence where Dumbledore is forced to drink the agonizing liquid to uncover Voldemort's Horcrux history. Finally, we unpack the sheer heartbreak of the Astronomy Tower betrayal where Snape casts Avada Kedavra on Dumbledore, the emotional unity of Hogwarts raising their wands against the dark mark, and the shocking final twist revealing that the locket is a total fake left by the mysterious R.A.B., so drop your thoughts in the comments below! Follow Roxy Striar YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@TheWhirlGirls Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roxystriar/?hl=en Twitter:  https://twitter.com/roxystriar Follow Jon Maturan: https://www.instagram.com/jonmaturan/?hl=en Intense Suspense by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Support The Channel By Getting Some REEL REJECTS Apparel! https://www.rejectnationshop.com/ Follow Us On Socials:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reelrejects/  Tik-Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@reelrejects?lang=en Twitter: https://x.com/reelrejects Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheReelRejects/ Music Used In Ad:  Hat the Jazz by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Happy Alley by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... POWERED BY @GFUEL Visit https://gfuel.ly/3wD5Ygo and use code REJECTNATION for 20% off select tubs!! Head Editor: https://www.instagram.com/praperhq/?hl=en Co-Editor: Greg Alba Co-Editor: John Humphrey Music In Video: Airport Lounge - Disco Ultralounge by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Ask Us A QUESTION On CAMEO: https://www.cameo.com/thereelrejects Follow TheReelRejects On FACEBOOK, TWITTER, & INSTAGRAM:  FB:  https://www.facebook.com/TheReelRejects/ INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/reelrejects/ TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/thereelrejects Follow GREG ON INSTAGRAM & TWITTER: INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/thegregalba/ TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/thegregalba Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when two paranormal podcasters step out from behind the microphones to talk about what really goes on when the tape stops rolling? In this special Season 5 bonus feature, Isaac flies' solo to sit down with Chris, host of The Wall of Unusual Podcast, to pull back the curtain on the modern paranormal community and dive deep into the realities, risks, and responsibilities of covering high strangeness. Together, they tackle everything from the "Player vs. Spectator" mentality of investigative work to surviving your very first internet hate comments. Along the way, Chris explains why treating a certain famous "R-word" cursed doll like Voldemort and the guys take a candid look at network television hype, discussing Netflix's 28 Days Haunted, the accuracy of the Estes Method, and how knowing how the sausage is made changes your view of mainstream ghost hunting.The conversation takes a massive technical and metaphysical turn when Isaac drops a fascinating scientific theory rooted in quantum mechanics, astrobiology, and iron lore. He breaks down why magnetic metals like railroad spikes and horseshoes traditionally repel spirits, proposing that because our souls interact with electromagnetic energy, Earth's massive magnetic shield might actually function as a perfect, deliberate housing unit designed to keep spirits existing in a liminal space between our dimension and theirs. The boundaries of reality blur even further as Isaac shares an unreleased, bizarre experience regarding a recurring dream sequence, questioning whether he is operating as a form of literal law enforcement or "Dream Police" …protecting the laws of the astral realm. They wrap up the exchange by exploring how the legacy of the Satanic Panic is actively ramping back up today, tracking it from 1980s police training videos all the way to modern legal battles involving local tarot card shops in Pennsylvania.You can connect with our guest by searching for The Wall of Unusual on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. Find Chris on Instagram @the_wall_of_unusual and on X @wallofunusual. As always, keep up with our latest investigations on Instagram @hiddenintheshadowspodcast, and we'll catch you weirdos in the next one!Audio Disclaimer: This conversation was recorded over Riverside, so listeners may notice minor audio variations or sound inconsistencies throughout the episode.Connect with Chris:Follow her journey and work through her social platforms:Instagram — www.instagram.com/the_wall_of_unusualMusic CreditsIntro and Outro Music: “Swamp Witch”Additional Intro Music: “Stacy Dahl” by MaudlinFollow Maudlin on TikTok and Instagram: @maudlinListen to Hidden in The Shadows Podcast on Spotify and YouTubeShare Your Paranormal ExperiencesSend us a message on social media, fill out our contact form, or email us:

The people melting down over Jaxson Dart introducing a president are the same emotional hall monitors who spent years telling America that dissent was sacred when Colin Kaepernick took a knee.I disagreed with most of what Kaepernick said. I thought parts of it were naive, performative, and unfair to law enforcement officers who actually walk into the fire every day while the keyboard revolutionaries post black squares from climate-controlled apartments. But I still defended his right to do it because that is the damn point of the First Amendment.Freedom of speech does not mean “approved speech from approved people on approved networks.” That's not liberty. That's corporate HR with a rainbow logo and a superiority complex.Now a quarterback introduces a president and suddenly the same crowd starts clutching pearls like the Republic is collapsing because somebody shook hands with orange Voldemort on camera. Spare me. You either believe adults can speak freely in public or you don't. The standard cannot change because the jersey switched teams.The funniest part is the same people who told us kneeling during the National Anthem was “a courageous conversation” now think introducing a president is violence adjacent. America has become a theater production where every extra thinks they're the main character and every disagreement is treated like DEFCON 1 by people whose greatest hardship is low Wi-Fi bars at Starbucks.Sometimes the most American thing you can do is let somebody say something you hate and not demand they be digitally waterboarded for it afterward.That is the difference between liberty and ideological narcotics.And if a grown adult cannot emotionally survive a quarterback introducing a politician, then maybe the problem is not democracy. Maybe the problem is a generation raised to believe disagreement itself is oppression.Freedom is messy. Always has been.You know, George Washington literally had newspapers calling him a tyrant while building the country?Yeah, George Washington didn't demand emotional safe spaces. He crossed an icy river with farmers and literal psychopaths because freedom requires tolerance for friction, not just applause for your own tribe.Some of you would not survive a Thanksgiving dinner in 1997 without filing an HR complaint against your uncle and demanding grandma deplatform the turkey. Gobble freaking Gobble! See less

Llegamos al análisis de los capítulos 32, 33 y 34, y tenemos un Departamento de misterios cargadito y lleno de las preguntas que nos gustan: qué son los espíritus chocarreros que salen de la varita de Voldemort? (2 teorías distintas, ustedes dirán cuál gana ah). Cuál era el plan de Voldemort post cementerio? Cómo recuperó su varita? En la sección de las quejas, hablamos de lo traumático que es este momento para Harry y de las diferencias entre su concepción de la familia (que charlamos en el episodio 19) y la de Voldemort.Sabías que ahora podés ser parte de la Comunidad Kiski?Entrá a⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://lasquisquillosas.wordpress.com/2025/09/10/unite-a-la-kiskicomunidad/⁠ para enterarte cómo!También podes encontrar todas nuestras plataformas y redes acá⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠linktr.ee/LasQuisquillosas⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Este episodio fue grabado en Estudio Dos Ocho, operado por Gonzalo PooliEditado por Maga Ardizzi y Eli Rojas Producido por Maga Ardizzi y Eli Rojas

Potter Revisited Episode #110 Have a Biscuit AKA Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 12 "Professor Umbridge" Harry is not coping well with his peers thinking he is a liar, and is taking it out on Ron and Hermione  The Twins are advertising for product testers which seems like a bit of a red flag Angelina Johnson is the new Griffindor Quidditch Captain - we love women in power It is smart for the twins to conduct some kind of market research and not just focus on what they like  Being dormmates with the twins seems dangerous  The Twins debated leaving school before their last year - is this something they could actually do?  Ron and Harry think being an Aurror would be cool but Hermione is considering what she could do with SPEW after Hogwarts  It is crazy that they need to consider their futures at 15  Cho approaches Harry but Ron ruins their moment by confronting her about her Quidditch Team  Harry tries his best to make his potion but Snape won't even let him turn it in despite it not even being the worst in the class - +1 Snape Sucks point Potions seems very similar to baking - everything needs to be very exact  Shay wonders if Snape is being harder on Harry now to prepare him for what is to come. Tori thinks he's just a dick  Dream analysis would be cool to learn, Harry and Ron are haters  The trio attend the first DADA lesson with Umbridge, and she treats the class like they are a lot younger and comes off very condescending What are Umbridge's qualifications for teaching anyway? The other professors seem to have some real life experience or expertise in their fields   Umbridge reveals the new course aims, and they kids are not going to be learning defensive magic, only the theory  Having students use class time to read a textbook is such a waste of time  When the students complain about not being taught magic (valid), Umbridge decides it is a good idea to slander their previous teachers, and calls Lupin a "half-breed" - so disgusting to to, especially in front of the students. +1 sucks point We love Dean standing up for Lupin, and the fact that Imposter Moody was actually a good teacher despite being a criminal  Pavarti brings up not learning spells during an important exam year - not everyone learns through theory and if this was a normal school year we could see parents being upset  Harry calls out Umbridge for not learning defensive magic when Voldemort is back  Umbridge gaslights Harry so hard we have whiplash  Umbrige telling student to come talk to her if people are speaking about Voldemort and that she is their friend is such a red flag. Adults - especially teachers - should not be friends with students. +1 Sucks point  Its so hard for Harry to hear how the Ministry stance disrespects Cedric - saying his death is an accident rather than the fact he was murdered in cold blood  Harry gets sent to McGonagall and she has one of the best lines in the series "have a biscuit, Potter" we stan  Its so interesting seeing this from Minnie G as she is one of the more proper and strict teachers in the series  Its really good that Minerva gives Harry this lesson of having to look at the bigger picture - what is happening to him is not right in any regard but he needs to consider the endgame rather than yelling that he is right to everyone who disagrees with him  Snape Sucks count for Chapter 12: 1 Umbridge Sucks count for Chapter 12: 2 Email any thoughts, questions or feedback to  potterrevisitedpodcast@gmail.com Music: Shelter Song by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Follow Us:  Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/potterrevisited Twitter https://twitter.com/potterevisited Instagram https://www.instagram.com/potterrevisited_/ Youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4v2Xt0OIQ8_LCVYhKf2S5A TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@potterrevisited  

Leemos los capítulos 32 "Hueso, carne y sangre", 33 "Los mortífagos" y 34 "Priori incantatem" y acompañamos a Harry en su experiencia más traumática (hasta ahora). Voldemort recupera su cuerpo y hace una conferencia de prensa ante los mortífagos ventilando TODO. Las varitas de Harry y Voldemort se enfrentan y el Chico Potter logra escapar gracias a los espíritus chocarreros.Sabías que ahora podés ser parte de la Comunidad Kiski?Entrá a⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://lasquisquillosas.wordpress.com/2025/09/10/unite-a-la-kiskicomunidad/⁠⁠ para enterarte cómo!También podes encontrar todas nuestras plataformas y redes acá⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠linktr.ee/LasQuisquillosas⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Este episodio fue grabado en Estudio Dos Ocho, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠operado por Gonzalo PooliEditado por Maga Ardizzi y Eli Rojas Producido por Maga Ardizzi y Eli Rojas

Chapter 17 - Bathilda's Secret, covered by Abby!We're breaking down the Godric's Hollow trap and Nagini bursting out of a corpse. Harry has now lost his owl, his broom, his home, his godfather's house, Ron, AND his wand. A throwback memory shows us Voldemort didn't even hesitate — James had no wand and Lily refused to move, and we have to talk about it.⚡️

Das Ende von Spion der Nächte naht - aber in dieser Folge wird es nochmal lustig, obwohl Snape und Voldemort eine sehr wichtige Unterhaltung führen! Es gibt neuen Merch: https://www.seedshirt.de/shop/schokofroescheshopIhr wollt uns FanArt schicken oder Sticker von uns bekommen?Schreibt uns an:Postfach 71053281455 München

In Chapter 15, a familiar face from the earlier books makes an appearance in Voldemort's secret lab... but they're not happy about what's going on.

Grab a tea and a cough drop so you can get through your villain monologue without losing your voice: Join Irvin, Karoline, Sophia and our guest Lizzie as they finish their discussion of Chapter 35 of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - "Veritaserum"! Join the discussion on our website In this episode: How did Voldemort get through his villain monologue without a water bottle? What is the Dark Order and who believes in it? When do dementors dig graves for prisoners? The ultimate Daddy Issues episode Whose Voldy obsession is superlative? Humanizing our villains through sport Why is Barty Crouch Sr. turned into a bone? Playing fetch with Bartz Crouch Sr. Lupin's highly creative storytelling Resources: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Sevens by Irvin Khaytman The Fallen Fathers of Goblet of Fire by Irvin Khaytman The Schemes Behind the Spite: Why Voldemort Really Jinxed the DADA Job by Sophia Jenkins Dumbledore: The Life and Lies by Irvin Khaytman Contact: Website: https://threebroomstickspod.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/threebroomstickspod/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/threebroomstickspodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/threebroompod Email: 3broomstickspod@gmail.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/3broomsticks 

On this week's episode, we're following Dumbledore and Harry into an unholy place... and finding deep comparisons between the chosen location for Voldemort's most protected Horcrux, and the legacy of the item it is contained within. Join Andrew, Eric, Micah, and Laura as they discuss a particular cave filled with water you wouldn't want to drink, and an important bonding moment between Harry and his headmaster. This week we're discussing Half-Blood Prince Chapter 26, “The Cave” The hosts analyze a new metaphor for the Cave by comparing it to a mother's womb. Harry and Dumbledore hope to retrieve a life form from the center, but it will cost them. What is the significance between Voldemort choosing his mother's locket, and this natural formation as its hiding spot? Real Talk, Part One: Could Harry have ever "beaten" the cave without Dumbledore's help? Real Talk, Part Two: Does the punishing difficulty of the Cave set an unreasonably high standard for readers regarding future Horcrux retrievals? Are Dumbledore's secrets being revealed while he takes the potion? Just what can we make of what he is experiencing, based on what he says? Micah's new theory about Dumbledore's visions stuns Eric. Do our Ariana Dumbledore theories re: the cave and Albus's protestations still hold water? Lynx Line: You are drinking from the basin and going through all the feelings. What are you screaming to the person who is forcing the liquid down your throat? Quizzitch: With a span of over 426 mapped miles, made of limestone, WHERE is the world's longest known cave system located? In Bonus MuggleCast, we watch and react to 5 classic episodes by the Potter Puppet Pals! Only half of the hosts have ever seen these classic fan entries into canon, despite their popularity! What things new and old will we find in the content? Watch along with us and discover, only on our Patreon, located at Patreon.com/MuggleCast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Heute dreht sich alles um unsere Lieblingsdampflok: den Hogwarts Express! Was kann man alles bei der Hexe mit dem Imbisswagen kaufen? Wer hat die SchülerInnen eigentlich im Blick? Und ist der Zug groß genug für alle? Es gibt neuen Merch: https://www.seedshirt.de/shop/schokofroescheshopIhr wollt uns FanArt schicken oder Sticker von uns bekommen?Schreibt uns an:Postfach 71053281455 München

Mischief managed… Roxy Striar & Jon Maturan react to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire — the Wizarding World chapter that introduced the Triwizard Tournament, Robert Pattinson as Cedric Diggory, the unforgettable Yule Ball, and the terrifying return of Lord Voldemort. Featuring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes, Brendan Gleeson, and Robert Pattinson, this is the moment the Harry Potter franchise officially turns DARK. Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire Full Length Watch Along & Early Access:   / thereelrejects   Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at www.SHOPIFY.com/rejects HARRY POTTER Prisoner of Azkaban Reaction:    • HARRY POTTER PRISONER OF AZKABAN MOVIE REA...   HARRY POTTER and the Sorcerer's Stone Reaction:    • HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE REAC...   HARRY POTTER and the Chamber of Secrets Reaction:    • HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS (2...   Gift Someone (Or Yourself) An RR Tee! https://shorturl.at/hekk2 Roxy & Jon react to the Quidditch World Cup, Mad-Eye Moody's Defense Against the Dark Arts class, the Triwizard Tournament dragon challenge, the underwater Black Lake task, the Yule Ball, Harry & Ron's falling out, Hermione and Viktor Krum, Cedric Diggory's tragic death, and Voldemort's full return in the graveyard finale. The reaction especially focuses on the darker tone shift of the franchise, the emotional impact of Cedric's death, Ralph Fiennes' terrifying performance as Voldemort, and the growing maturity of the Harry Potter characters as Hogwarts becomes increasingly dangerous. Jon & Roxy also react heavily to Robert Pattinson showing up as Cedric Diggory, Neville Longbottom becoming more important, the reveal of Barty Crouch Jr., and the reveal that Mad-Eye Moody had been manipulated all along. Follow Jon Maturan: https://www.instagram.com/jonmaturan/?hl=en Follow Roxy Striar YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@TheWhirlGirls Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roxystriar/?hl=en Twitter:  https://twitter.com/roxystriar Intense Suspense by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Support The Channel By Getting Some REEL REJECTS Apparel! https://www.rejectnationshop.com/ Follow Us On Socials:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reelrejects/  Tik-Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@reelrejects?lang=en Twitter: https://x.com/reelrejects Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheReelRejects/ Music Used In Ad:  Hat the Jazz by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Happy Alley by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... POWERED BY @GFUEL Visit https://gfuel.ly/3wD5Ygo and use code REJECTNATION for 20% off select tubs!! Head Editor: https://www.instagram.com/praperhq/?hl=en Co-Editor: Greg Alba Co-Editor: John Humphrey Music In Video: Airport Lounge - Disco Ultralounge by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Ask Us A QUESTION On CAMEO: https://www.cameo.com/thereelrejects Follow TheReelRejects On FACEBOOK, TWITTER, & INSTAGRAM:  FB:  https://www.facebook.com/TheReelRejects/ INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/reelrejects/ TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/thereelrejects Follow GREG ON INSTAGRAM & TWITTER: INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/thegregalba/ TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/thegregalba Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Chapter 14, Voldemort finally comes clean about the next stage in his quest of immortality, and sheds some light about what really happened when he 'died' in The Battle of Hogwarts all those years ago.Hey! I'm all over the internet doing dumb stuff that I think is cool.Go find me somewhere!!!▶️ Youtube Channel: ⁠youtube.com/radiomike⁠✍️ Read my Blog: ⁠radiomike.substack.com⁠

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we discuss Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, and Albus Dumbledore and how they evolved over Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. We also discuss Voldemort's continuing rise to power and how that sets up Sirius Black in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Enjoy!Topics/Summary:·      1:16 The goals we set for season two. 1) Explore Hogwarts. If there's one that we could have done more with, it's probably this one. However, we still did a ton in this regard. 2) Develop relationships. Check! 3) Begin Voldemort's journey. We absolutely did this as well, especially with the diary. Tom Riddle as a shadow of the Dark Lord functions very effectively to set up his rise to power.·      21:20 The power of dark magic. With Sirius Black in our future, the idea of dark magic should evolve in this season. Seeing Ginny floating above the Chamber of Secrets, for example, would be a sight that would really draw the line between dark and light magic.·      26:41 Harry and Dumbledore. It should be clear that Dumbledore is pulling the strings here. He has a say in the goings on of the wizarding world. Additionally, Harry has a deep dark past, and that past is what influences a lot of Dumbledore's decisions. ThePotterDiscussion@gmail.comthepotterdiscussion.comNox

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Was wäre eigentlich, wenn Harry bei den Weasleys oder Sirius aufgewachsen wäre? Wir stellen uns heute ein paar hypothetische Fragen und sinieren darüber, was alles hätte anders laufen können. Gefällt euch das Format? Es gibt neuen Merch: https://www.seedshirt.de/shop/schokofroescheshopIhr wollt uns FanArt schicken oder Sticker von uns bekommen?Schreibt uns an:Postfach 71053281455 München

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger come to the end of their second year at Hogwarts. We spend most of the episode in Ancient Greece following the inventor of the horcrux: Herpo the Foul. Enjoy!Topics/Summary:·      Listen to Tea Leaves S2 E7 here! Read more about Herpo the Foul here (if you dare)!·      1:56 Quick Recap and Herpo the Foul. We open in Ancient Greece, thousands of years ago. Herpo the Foul lives in a big, nonmagical family. He feels like he can't make his voice heard, and that he has no power. This leads to the formation of an obscurus and his magical journey begins. This part of the episode should be the majority. We explore his life and how he used his powers to gain an edge, eventually breaking out of simple curses and discovering horcruxes. The similarities to Voldemort should be obvious.·      26:13 Back to Harry. We open in the girls' bathroom with Fawkes, Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Lockhart returning from the Chamber. Harry and Ron go up to Dumbledore's office where they are scolded, but also rewarded. Harry hands Dumbledore the diary and we should feel the weight of that moment, especially because of how much buildup we had in the previous part of this episode. Lucius and Dobby enter, and Harry gives the diary to Lucius before they leave, who hands it to Dobby. Dobby is free! Finally, we have a final shot of the trio getting on the train and going back home. It is the end of this year, but certainly not the end of the story. Soon, they will learn of the horrible, terrible, escaped Sirius Black… ThePotterDiscussion@gmail.comthepotterdiscussion.comNox

Deze aflevering van Nerd Culture is ook te zien op YouTube: https://youtu.be/5mSmcbDnD_wIn deze aflevering van Nerd Culture schuiven Koos en Huey aan voor een show vol sci-fi, fantasy en nostalgie. Van Star Wars en Daredevil: Born Again tot cultklassiekers als The Truman Show en The A-Team, de aflevering zit weer vol uiteenlopende nerdy onderwerpen en stevige discussies. Daarnaast duiken ze in een reeks opvallende ontwikkelingen binnen Hollywood. Zo lijkt Edge of Tomorrow 2 eindelijk werkelijkheid te worden met Tom Cruise en Doug Liman, terwijl Andy Serkis openlijk aast op de rol van Voldemort in HBO’s nieuwe Harry Potter-serie. Ook bespreken ze het overlijden van media-icoon Ted Turner, bizarre spoilerwetten in Japan, nieuwe collectibles en opvallende trailerreleases. Mortal Kombat II Review Huey heeft de nieuwe Mortal Kombat II al gezien, en in deze aflevering bespreekt hij uitgebreid of de sequel daadwerkelijk een stap vooruit is ten opzichte van de reboot uit 2021. De film gooit eindelijk het iconische toernooi volledig open en zet volop in op fanservice, brute fatalities en bekende personages als Johnny Cage, Kitana, Shao Kahn en Baraka. Vooral Karl Urban als Johnny Cage lijkt volgens veel fans een absolute scene stealer te zijn. Tegelijkertijd blijft de film trouw aan de over-the-top videogame roots, inclusief cheesy oneliners, absurde actie en gigantische lore dumps. Huey deelt zijn spoiler-vrije indrukken over de gevechten, de toon van de film en waarom Mortal Kombat II misschien wel de meest “videogame-ass videogamefilm” in jaren is geworden. Andy Serkis hoopt Voldermort te worden in Harry Potter De casting van Lord Voldemort blijft één van de grootste vraagtekens rond HBO’s nieuwe Harry Potter-serie, en inmiddels heeft nóg een opvallende naam interesse getoond: Andy Serkis. De acteur achter iconische rollen als Gollum, Caesar en Snoke zegt zelfs bereid te zijn “zijn neus af te hakken” om de rol van Voldemort te spelen. Het is vooral interessant omdat Serkis precies het soort acteur is dat volledig kan verdwijnen in een personage. Na Ralph Fiennes ligt de lat extreem hoog, maar als iemand ervaring heeft met fysieke transformaties en motion-capture performances, dan is hij het wel. De vraag is nu vooral: kiest HBO voor een bekende naam, of gaan ze juist voor een compleet onverwachte Voldemort? Wil je adverteren bij de podcast Nerd Culture óf misschien bij een andere podcast van ILVY Network? Mail dan naar management@ilvy.com en/of kijk even op de website: https://ilvy.com/podcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Get behind the bar and start mixing Polyjuice Potion and Veritaserum together for a new special drink: Join Irvin, Karoline, Sophia and our guest Lizzie, in discussion of Chapter 35 of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - "Veritaserum"! Join the discussion on our website In this episode: Mad Barty Crouch Eyes What does Dumbledore know during the Third Task? What does Moody call Lord Voldemort?  What about Fake Moody? Who calls Voldemort "daddy"? Is Winky a master Occlumens… or just very drunk? The merits of villain monologues Hermione is a walking and talking book, really Cheating on behalf of Harry Is Snape foe(glass) or friend? Is Moody's chest a Tardis? Resources: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Sevens by Irvin Khaytman The Fallen Fathers of Goblet of Fire by Irvin Khaytman The Schemes Behind the Spite: Why Voldemort Really Jinxed the DADA Job by Sophia Jenkins The Role of Books in the Hogwarts Saga by David Martin A Very Bad Year for Albus Dumbledore (and it's all Snape's fault) by Josie Kearns Dumbledore: The Life and Lies by Irvin Khaytman Pub's Jukebox: The Tournament by Slytherin Soundtrack Contact: Website: https://threebroomstickspod.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/threebroomstickspod/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/threebroomstickspodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/threebroompod Email: 3broomstickspod@gmail.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/3broomsticks 

0:00 - Imagine we're hosts of sports radio in Minneapolis/St. Paul this morning...what are we saying to the Wild fans? How are we convincing the fanbase that the Wild can win Game 3 tomorrow?15:17 - Yesterday on PHD, Scott Hastings disagreed with one of Brett's Nuggets takes. Today, Brett offered up his rebuttal. 32:27 - The Lakers vs OKC. It's like Voldemort vs Thanos. How do you pick a side? There's one benefit to this series. Since the Lakers are playing, the entire national media is watching every minute of every game. And because of that, OKC's flopping and foul-baiting is under a massive microscope. The whole sporting world is finally waking up to OKC's whistle grifting.It's CRAZY that the Thunder are actually making us feel sorry for the Lakers. Genuinely! That's how bad their flopping is. 

Der weiseste Bruder aus dem Märchen wünscht sich den Tarnumhang und kann damit den Tod austricksen - trotzdem ist dieses Heiligtum das unspannenste für die Zauberer und Hexen. Harry nutzt ihn natürlich trotzdem häufig, lässt ihn aber auch genauso oft irgendwie liegen. Es gibt neuen Merch: https://www.seedshirt.de/shop/schokofroescheshopIhr wollt uns FanArt schicken oder Sticker von uns bekommen?Schreibt uns an:Postfach 71053281455 München

Go to HelloFresh.com/jvsb10fm to Get 10 Free meals and a free Nutribullet® Ultra Plus on your 3rd box. We know Voldemort created 7 Horcruxes using 7 murders—but not all of those victims make sense. Sure, killing his father, Myrtle, or Bertha Jorkins tracks… but an Albanian peasant? A muggle tramp? For years, these deaths have seemed completely random… Until NOW! Today, we're breaking down every Horcrux Voldemort ever made— including the Albanian Peasant and Muggle Tramp (who isn't as random as you think!) #HarryPotter #Voldemort #Horcrux

On this week's episode, get ready for the worst scavenger hunt ever! Join Eric, Micah, Laura and special guest Rachel as they take a trip down Horcrux memory lane and learn what near-impossible task lies ahead for Harry and company!  Welcome Slug Club member and host of The Menuscript, Rachel! This week we're discussing Half-Blood Prince Chapter 23, "Horcruxes" The Slughorn Files: UNREDACTED What do we make of Slughorn's interest in Tom becoming Minister of Magic? Did Tom learn some of his less-than-wholesome skills from observing Slughorn? What was the inciting event that made Dumbledore so “fierce” about a no-Horcrux curriculum?  And should Horcruxes be a banned topic at Hogwarts? Why was Voldemort willing to risk part of his soul to reopen the Chamber of Secrets? Hallows Happy Dumbledore: with both the Elder Wand and Resurrection Stone in his possession, why didn't Albus ask Harry for his Invisibility Cloak and just dip? When Dumbledore suggests the possibility of a living Horcrux in Nagini, should this not have been MAJOR confirmation that Harry was a Horcrux as well? Why does Harry's capacity for love give him power the Dark Lord knows not? Lynx Line: If Horcruxes were a subscription service, what would their tagline be? Quizzitch: On July 7th, 2007, the “New 7 Wonders of the Modern World” were unveiled by the New 7 Wonders Committee in Switzerland, with input from around the world. Of the NEW 7 Wonders of the Modern world, which one is the MOST modern? In Bonus MuggleCast, we're keeping with the Horcrux theme… and giving the Harry Potter TV show license to change one major character death. Find out what the hosts came up with at Patreon.com/MuggleCast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hello magical friends! I've been shockingly busy, but I didn't want to let another month pass without giving you all a 6th anniversary present, so here is the Patreon-exclusive interview with Grace Candido-Beecher and Irvin Khaytman about Grace's now-released book "Voldemort: The Definitive Study of Tom Riddle--the Man Who Would Become "He Who Must Not Be Named"." The book is available now, so if your interest is piqued, go get yourself a copy! https://bookshop.org/p/books/voldemort-the-definitive-study-of-tom-riddle-the-man-who-would-become-he-who-must-not-be-named-grace-candido-beecher/cb26a9a0e96f113e

Der Trailer der neuen Serie ist erschienen und natürlich haben wir uns den für euch mal genauer angeguckt! Was uns gut gefallen hat, wo wir noch Zweifeln, worauf wir uns freuen und wo es noch Spekulatius gibt, das erfahrt ihr in dieser Folge. Es gibt neuen Merch: https://www.seedshirt.de/shop/schokofroescheshopIhr wollt uns FanArt schicken oder Sticker von uns bekommen?Schreibt uns an:Postfach 71053281455 München

Alice and Martha break down the most fun and hilarious page yet! Dumbledore senses traces of magic in a very mysterious manner, Harry brags about his fitness and his youth, and Voldemort once again fails to realize that physical pain is not the worst thing in the world. Please consider supporting us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/realweirdsisters New episodes are released every Monday and special topics shows are released periodically. Don't forget to subscribe to our show to make sure you never miss an episode! 

This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. Go to http://betterhelp.com/super for 10% off your first month. Go to http://buyRaycon.com/supercarlin to get 15% off the Everyday Earbuds Classic. Today J and Ben are drawing more unhinged theories from a hat and defending them to the death!  Does Sirius Black have a secret twin? Is Hagrid Immortal?  Was Harry's Scar NOT from Voldemort? Was the Sorcerer's Stone a Fake??

Do you believe in fairy tales? Harry sure does. In this chapter, he debates with Ron and Hermione over the necessity of finding the Deathly Hallows and how they will help their journey to destroying all of Voldemort's Horcruxes. Hosts David and Kyle also chat about how a welcoming message from the outside world boosts morale, before it is shortly brought to a halt after a grievous error.

On this week's episode, it's time for Slughorn Unfiltered. We're going into the true memory that Dumbledore and Harry have been after, opening a significant path forward in the quest to defeat Voldemort! Chapter-by-Chapter continues with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 22: After the Burial Is Hagrid being a bad friend by asking the trio to break curfew? This isn't the first time Hagrid has put Harry in danger re: Aragog; we recall moments in Chamber of Secrets which connect. Hermione and Ron's reactions to Harry taking liquid luck still make us giggle. How did Hagrid actually fend off all of Aragog's family to get him to his hut? Is Harry being a bad friend to Hagrid by inviting Slughorn to the funeral, knowing Slughorn wants to turn a profit? Could Harry have gotten Horace's memory without using Felix Felicis? We go through why Harry is successful and what steps are taken which ensure his victory with the memory. Does Horace Slughorn appear again in this book? Does he avoid Harry after this? Odds and Ends discuss the first Potions lesson of the year, which was an important one for both Harry and Draco. Lynx Line: When did you successfully persuade someone to do something they didn't want to do, and how did you do it? Quizzitch: 1 On which Earth continent would you find the world's biggest spider, Theraposa blondi aka “The Goliath Birdeater”? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shout Out To The Moms!From Lily's sacrifice to Narcissa's whispered lie in the forest, the mothers of Harry Potter prove that love is the most powerful magic in the series. Whether it's Molly's hugs, Narcissa's betrayal of Voldemort, or even Petunia's complicated resentment — motherhood in this series is messy, fierce, and everything. ⚡️

Wir tauchen mit Albus Dumbledore in das 5. Jahr und den Orden des Phönix ein. Dafür, dass Dumbledore Harry ignoriert und die zwei sich kaum begegnen, wird aber ständig über Dumbledore gesprochen. Er hat mal wieder alles unter Kontrolle - oder hat er etwa doch nicht? Es gibt neuen Merch: https://www.seedshirt.de/shop/schokofroescheshopIhr wollt uns FanArt schicken oder Sticker von uns bekommen?Schreibt uns an:Postfach 71053281455 München

The legend of Dracula didn't spring from one man's imagination — it was forged from centuries of real blood, real terror, and monsters who actually walked the earth.FEATURED STORIES IN THIS EPISODE: Where did Bram Stoker get his idea for Dracula? Hint – it was not, as many believe, Vlad the Impaler. (Bram Stoker's Inspiration) *** Ronald Gene Simmons went on a 16 person murder spree – and 14 of them were his own family. (Serial Killer Ronald Gene Simmons) *** In the world of Harry Potter, figures like Grindewald and Voldemort meet in dark rooms to work their evil magic plans against those whom they consider enemies. But is there a real-life version of such dark magic meetings? (Grindelwald and Secret Societies) *** A dark figure appears out of nowhere to terrify a man in his own home. (Inter-Dimensional Shadow Person) *** The largest haunted place in the world isn't a house, mansion, asylum, or even a forest or lake– it's a giant cave in Kentucky, and not only is it haunted – it is extremely creepy. (Kentucky's Mammoth Cave)CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…00:00:00.000 = The Foreboding00:00:38.520 = Show Open00:02:30.763 = Bram Stoker's Inspiration00:11:56.486 = Serial Killer Ronald Gene Simmons ***00:20:34.361 = Grindelwald and Secret Societies00:27:26.154 = Interdimensional Shadow Person00:32:05.477 = Kentucky's Mammoth Cave, Part 1 ***01:01:26.174 = Kentucky's Mammoth Cave, Part 2 ***01:29:18.495 = Kentucky's Mammoth Cave, Part 3 ***01:43:56.374 = Show Close*** = Begins immediately after inserted ad breakLISTEN ON PODCAST APPS: Look for this podcast on YouTube Music, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other apps. Get the full list of options here: https://pod.link/1078714736*No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast*SOURCES and RESOURCES:“Serial Killer Ronald Gene Simmons” by Kara Goldfarb: https://tinyurl.com/qnvc2oo“Grindelwald and Secret Societies”: https://tinyurl.com/wm2ka6z“Interdimensional Shadow Person”: https://tinyurl.com/vjgdmva“Bram Stoker's Inspiration” by Doug MacGowan: https://tinyurl.com/y8u4m4mt“Kentucky's Mammoth Cave” by Troy Taylor: https://tinyurl.com/s6eojxj(Over time links may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.Originally aired: November 10, 2018EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources and full transcript): https://weirddarkness.com/RealDracula

Sporty Spice was living up to her name for doing HYROX, we are not Alyssa Farrah and Ralph Fiennes has a pick for Voldemort. Lena Dunam ripple effect, Alex Cooper now taking aim at Chickenfry and we are heading back to Middle Earth.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Grace Candido-Beecher [author of Voldemort] reads that phrase "the boy" as when Voldemort says it, he means Harry and he also means that part of himself that was the young Tom Riddle growing up in an orphanage. For full show notes, transcripts, ways to contact the hosts or support the show, and more, visit hpafter2020.com.

Chapter 12 - Magic is Might, covered by Sarah!The Ministry has fallen, the fountain is gone, and a stone throne declares Magic is Might where golden unity once stood. Harry, Ron, and Hermione walk straight into the heart of Voldemort's empire — disguised, outnumbered, and completely in over their heads. ⚡️

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we analyze the second trailer released by HBO for the Harry Potter TV show. This one is for a behind-the-scenes special called Finding Harry: The Craft Behind the Magic. It is a behind the scenes look at the production of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the first season of the Harry Potter TV show. Enjoy!Topics/Summary:Listen to episode 326 analyzing the first official trailer here!·      2:54 Dominic McLaughlin looks so much like Harry! But it's not in the way that he looks like Daniel Radcliff, but that he looks like the Harry from the books.  There are still some differences, but that continues to support the idea that these characters will be similar, but not the same.·      9:00 Wow! We're getting behind the scenes footage! It's crazy to think that we just got the release date to the TV show itself, and we're already getting full releases of behind-the-scenes specials. We've almost graduated the point where the product itself is the goal, but an expansion of the fandom and the story.·      14:56 Philosopher's Stone? Christmas? We glossed over some of the most important pieces of information we learned from the trailer. For one, the project is called Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, not the Sorcerer's Stone. And it will be released this year! Christmas has the right feeling of magic and family to make for the perfect release date.·      21:13 Still no Voldemort? HBO has confirmed that he has been cast and will appear in at least a few seasons, so it's odd that we haven't heard a peep. They're really keeping this under wraps! I don't really care about the name of the actor playing him, just the interpretation of the character. In this way the casting does actually matter, so any information would be great!·      27:29 Snape and Dumbledore and still stealing the show! Even in the special trailer, these two had big features and interviews. I want them to have a heavy feature, but it would be a shame if they took over the screen. ThePotterDiscussion@gmail.comthepotterdiscussion.comNox

Go to http://betterhelp.com/super for 10% off your first month. Join the Wizarding Candle Club :: https://carlinbrothersmercantile.com/products/wizarding-candle-club Today J dives into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter to answer the age old question: Why Didn't Voldemort Make His Own Sorcerer's Stone?

Chapter 11 - The Bribe, covered by Abby!Voldemort doesn't need the Ministry throne — he just needs the puppets, the propaganda, and the fear. Lupin drops some devastating news, Harry drops some hard truths, and Mundungus finally gets dragged back — literally — by Kreacher. Oh, and that locket? Yeah, Umbridge has it. Of course she does. ⚡️

On this week's episode, we take another trip down memory lane. Be sure to hide your valuable family heirlooms because there is a thieving Dark Lord lurking. Join Andrew, Eric, Micah and Laura as they do the Hokey Pokey and they turn themselves around... because that's what it's all about! Chapter-by-Chapter continues with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 20: Lord Voldemort's Request Memory #1: Hepzibah, Hokey & Helga Hufflepuff We debate whether or not Tom Riddle should have been given a post at Hogwarts vs. allowing him to dabble in dark artifacts at Borgin and Burkes Hokey The Scapegoat: we compare how Tom Riddle used her much like he used Morfin and Hagrid! Hepzibah Smith displays some of Hufflepuff's less-than-flattering character traits. Do we agree she is Slughorn "lite" in her behavior? What do we make of the “young, attractive man charming the older, wealthy woman” trope? Memory #2: Awkward Job Interview Given how his appearance has begun to change, does Dumbledore already suspect Horcruxes during Voldemort's trip to Hogwarts? Do we agree with Dumbledore that Voldemort didn't actually come to Hogwarts to get the Defense Against The Dark Arts (DADA) post? Doesn't the Ministry, school governors, and other faculty notice the turnover rate for the DADA position? Why isn't anything done to break the curse? Lynx Line: In an alternate universe where Dumbledore decided to give Tom a second chance, what Hogwarts position should he have offered Tom instead of DADA Professor [wrong answers only]? Quizzitch: In Chapter 20, we learn why Hogwarts cannot have a DADA teacher for more than year. In United States history, which two American Presidents served less than one year in office? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a rare twist, the pensieve is about to enter a world which is entirely our own, as Caractacus Burke recounts his memory of scamming poor Merope and (possibly) doing more than anyone else to set Voldemort for misery. Alice and Martha recap the 261st page of Half-Blood Prince in this week's One Page at a Time! Please consider supporting us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/realweirdsisters New episodes are released every Monday and special topics shows are released periodically. Don't forget to subscribe to our show to make sure you never miss an episode! 

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we compare Gilderoy Lockhart and Tom Riddle in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. With the upcoming Harry Potter TV show, there will be many opportunities to dive deeper into both of these characters. Though Riddle doesn't teach at Hogwarts and Lockhart doesn't make horcruxes in his spare time, they are far more similar than what meets the eye.Topics/Summary:·      1:59 Gilderoy Lockhart and Tom Riddle seem different, but the truth is they are eerily similar. They are both mirrors for things waiting for us in the future of the story. Tom Riddle is a mirror for the later form of Voldemort, showing us what is to come. Lockhart is a mirror for the fear Voldemort inspires in us as he rises to power. It isn't enough for the story to tell us to be afraid of Voldemort; we have to see it too.·      17:18 Similarities and differences. On the surface, these two characters seem like total opposites. They come from different lives, even different times. However, the deeper we go into their character, the more similar they become. They both have power over people and that leaves a mark.·      24:09 Both Lockhart and Riddle disappear in this season and will reappear in a different form in a future season. What does that mean? An interesting question to ask within this subject is: who changes the most? The truth is, it's really hard to tell. ThePotterDiscussion@gmail.comthepotterdiscussion.comNox

What makes a character so compelling that readers will forgive almost anything about the plot? How do you move beyond vague flaws and generic descriptions to create people who feel pulled from real life? In this solo episode, I share 15 actionable tips for writing deep characters, curated from past interviews on the podcast. In the intro, thoughts from London Book Fair [Instagram reel @jfpennauthor; Publishing Perspectives; Audible; Spotify]; Insights from a 7-figure author business [BookBub]. This show is supported by my Patrons. Join my Community and get articles, discounts, and extra audio and video tutorials on writing craft, author business, and AI tools, at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn This episode has been created from previous episodes of The Creative Penn Podcast, curated by Joanna Penn, as well as chapters from How to Write a Novel: From Idea to Book. Links to the individual episodes are included in the transcript below. In this episode: Master the ‘Believe, Care, Invest' trifecta, how to hook readers on the very first page Define the Dramatic Question: Who is your character when the chips are down? Absolute specificity. Why “she's controlling” isn't good enough Understand the Heroine's Journey, strength through connection, not solo action Use ‘Metaphor Families' to anchor dialogue and give every character a distinctive voice Find the Diagnostic Detail, the moments that prove a character is real Writing pain onto the page without writing memoir Write diverse characters as real people, not stereotypes or plot devices Give your protagonist a morally neutral ‘hero' status. Compelling beats likeable. Build vibrant side characters for series longevity and spin-off potential Use voice as a rhythmic tool Link character and plot until they're inseparable Why discovery writers can write out of order and still build deep character Find the sensory details that make characters live and breathe More help with how to write fiction here, or in my book, How to Write a Novel. Writing Characters: 15 Tips for Writing Deep Character in Your Fiction In today's episode, I'm sharing fifteen tips for writing deep characters, synthesised from some of the most insightful interviews on The Creative Penn Podcast over the past few years, combined with what I've learned across more than forty books of my own. I'll be referencing episodes with Matt Bird, Will Storr, Gail Carriger, Barbara Nickless, and Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer. I'll also draw on my own book, How to Write a Novel, which covers these fundamentals in detail. Whether you're writing your first novel or your fiftieth, whether you're a plotter or a discovery writer like me, these tips will help you create characters that readers believe in, care about, and invest in—and keep coming back for more. Let's get into it. 1. Master the ‘Believe, Care, Invest' Trifecta When I spoke with Matt Bird on episode 624, he laid out the three things you need to achieve on the very first page of your book or in the first ten minutes of a film. He calls it “Believe, Care, and Invest.” First, the reader must believe the character is a real person, somehow proving they are not a cardboard imitation of a human being, not just a generic type walking through a generic plot. Second, the reader must care about the character's circumstances. And third, the reader must invest in the character's ability to solve the story's central problem. Matt used The Hunger Games as his primary example, and it's brilliant. On the very first page, we believe Katniss's voice. Suzanne Collins writes in first person with a staccato rhythm—lots of periods, short declarative sentences—that immediately grounds us in a survivalist mentality. We care because Katniss is starving. She's protecting her little sister. And we invest because she is out there bow hunting, which Matt pointed out is one of the most badass things a character can do. She even kills a lynx two pages in and sells the pelt. We invest in her resourcefulness and grit before the plot has even begun. Matt was very clear that this has nothing to do with the character being “likable.” He said his subtitle, Writing a Hero Anyone Will Love, doesn't mean the character has to be a good person. He described “hero” as both gender-neutral and morally neutral. A hero can be totally evil or totally good. What matters is that we believe, care, and invest. He demonstrated this beautifully by breaking down the first ten minutes of WeCrashed, where the characters of Adam and Rebekah Neumann are absolutely not likable, but we are completely hooked. Adam steals his neighbour's Chinese food through a carefully orchestrated con involving an imaginary beer. It's not admirable behaviour, but the tradecraft involved, as Matt put it—using a term from spy movies—makes us invest in him. We see a character trying to solve the big problem of his life, which is that he's poor and wants to be rich, and we want to see if he can pull it off. Actionable step: Go to the first page of your current work in progress. Does it achieve all three? Does the reader believe this is a real person with a distinctive voice? Do they care about the character's circumstances? And do they invest in the character's ability to handle what's coming? If even one of those three is missing, that's your revision priority. 2. Define the Dramatic Question: Who Are They Really? Will Storr, author of The Science of Storytelling, came on episode 490 and gave one of the most powerful frameworks I've ever heard for character-driven fiction. He explained that the human brain evolved language primarily to swap social information—in other words, to gossip. We are wired to monitor other people, to ask the question: who is this person when the chips are down? That's what Will calls the Dramatic Question, and it's what he believes lies at the heart of all compelling storytelling. It's not a question about plot. It's a question about the character's soul. And every scene in your novel should force the character to answer it. His example of Lawrence of Arabia is unforgettable. The Dramatic Question for the entire film is: who are you, Lawrence? Are you ordinary or are you extraordinary? At the beginning, Lawrence is a cocky, rebellious young soldier who believes his rebelliousness makes him superior. Every iconic scene in that three-hour film tests that belief. Sometimes Lawrence acts as though he truly is extraordinary—leading the Arabs into battle, being hailed as a god—and sometimes the world strips him bare and he sees himself as ordinary. Because it's a tragedy, he never overcomes his flaw. He doubles down on his belief that he's extraordinary until he becomes monstrous, culminating in that iconic scene where he lifts a bloody dagger and sees his own reflection with horror. Will also used Jaws to demonstrate how this works in a pure action thriller. Brody's dramatic question is simple: are you going to be old Brody who is terrified of the water, or new Brody who can overcome that fear? Every scene where the shark appears is really asking that question. And the last moment of the film isn't the shark blowing up. It's Brody swimming back through the water, saying he used to be scared of the water and he can't imagine why. Actionable step: Write down the Dramatic Question for your protagonist in a single sentence. Is it “Are you ordinary or extraordinary?” or “Are you brave enough to love again?” or “Will you sacrifice your principles for survival?” If you can't answer this with specificity, your character might still be a sketch rather than a person. 3. Get rid of Vague Flaws, and use Absolute Specificity This was one of Will Storr's most important points. He said that vague thinking about characters is really the enemy. When he teaches workshops and asks writers to describe their character's flaw, most of them say something like “they're very controlling.” And Will's response is: that's not good enough. Everyone is controlling. How are they controlling? What's the specific mechanism? He gave the example of a profile he read of Theresa May during the UK's Brexit chaos. Someone who knew her said that Theresa May's problem was that she always thinks she's the only adult in every room she goes into. Will said that stopped him in his tracks because it's so precise. If you define a character with that level of specificity, you can take them and put them in any genre, any situation—a spaceship, a Victorian drawing room, a school playground—and you will know exactly how they're going to behave. The same applies to Arthur Miller's Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman, as Will described it: a man who believes absolutely in capitalistic success and the idea that when you die, you're going to be weighed on a scale, just as God weighs you for sin, but now you're weighed for success. That's not a vague flaw. That's a worldview you can drop into any story and watch it combust. Will made another counterintuitive point that I found really valuable: writers often think that piling on multiple traits will create a complex character, but the opposite is true. Starting with one highly specific flaw and running it through the demands of a relentless plot is what generates complexity. You end up with a far more nuanced, original character than if you'd started with a laundry list of vague attributes. Actionable step: Take your protagonist's flaw and pressure-test it. Is it specific enough that you could place this character in any situation and predict their behaviour? If you're stuck at “she's stubborn” or “he's insecure,” keep pushing. What kind of stubborn? What kind of insecure? Find the diagnostic sentence—the Theresa May level of precision. 4. Understand the Heroine's Journey: Strength Through Connection Gail Carriger came on episode 550 to discuss her nonfiction book, The Heroine's Journey, and it completely reframed how I think about some of my own fiction. Gail explained that the core difference between the Hero's Journey and the Heroine's Journey comes down to how strength and victory are defined. The Hero's Journey is about strength through solo action. The hero must be continually isolated to get stronger. He goes out of civilisation, faces strife alone, and achieves victory through physical prowess and self-actualisation. The Heroine's Journey is the opposite. The heroine achieves her goals by activating a network. She's a delegator, a general. She identifies where she can't do something alone, finds the people who can help, and portions out the work for mutual gain. Gail put it simply: the heroine is very good at asking for help, which our culture tends to devalue but which is actually a powerful form of strength. Crucially, Gail stressed that gender is irrelevant to which journey you're writing. Her go-to examples are striking: the recent Wonder Woman film is practically a beat-for-beat hero's journey—Gilgamesh on screen, as Gail described it. Meanwhile, Harry Potter, both the first book and the series as a whole, is a classic heroine's journey. Harry's power comes from his network—Dumbledore's Army, the Order of the Phoenix, his friendships with Ron and Hermione. He doesn't defeat Voldemort alone. He defeats Voldemort because of love and connection. This distinction has real practical consequences for writers. If you're writing a hero's journey and you hit writer's block, Gail said, the solution is usually to isolate your hero further and pile on more strife. But if you're writing a heroine's journey, the solution is probably to throw a new character into the scene—someone who has advice to offer or a skill the heroine lacks. The actual solutions to writer's block are different depending on which narrative you're writing. As I reflected on my own work, I realised that my ARKANE thriller protagonist, Morgan Sierra, follows a hero's journey—she's a solo operative, a lone wolf like Jack Reacher or James Bond. But my Mapwalker fantasy series follows a heroine's journey, with Sienna and her group of friends working together. I hadn't consciously chosen those paths; the stories led me there. But understanding the framework helps me write more intentionally now. Actionable step: Identify which journey your protagonist is on. Does your character gain strength by being alone (hero) or by building connections (heroine)? This will inform every plot decision you make, from how they face obstacles to how your story ends. 5. Use ‘Metaphor Families' to Anchor Dialogue and Voice One of the most practical techniques Matt Bird shared on episode 624 is the idea of assigning each character a “metaphor family”—a specific well of language that they draw from. This gives each character a distinctive voice that goes beyond accent or dialect. Matt explained how in The Wire, one of the most beloved TV shows of all time, every character has a different metaphor family. What struck him was that Omar, this iconic character, never utters a single curse word in the entire series. His metaphor family is pirate. He talks about parlays, uses language that feels like it belongs in Pirates of the Caribbean, and it creates this incredible ironic counterpoint against his urban setting. It tells us immediately that this is a character who sees himself in a tradition of people that doesn't match his immediate surroundings. Matt also referenced the UK version of The Office, where Gareth works at a paper company but aspires to the military. So all of his language is drawn from a military metaphor family. He doesn't talk about filing and photocopying; he talks about tactics and discipline and being on the front line. This tells us that the character has a life and dreams beyond the immediate scene—and it's the gap between aspiration and reality that makes him both funny and believable. He pointed out that a metaphor family sometimes comes from a character's background, but it's often more interesting when it comes from their aspirations. What does your character want to be? What world do they fantasise about inhabiting? That's where their language should come from. In Star Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi is a spiritual hermit, but his metaphor family is military. He uses the language of generals and commanders, and that ironic counterpoint is part of what makes him feel so rich. Actionable step: Assign each of your main characters a metaphor family. It could be based on their job, their background, or—more interestingly—their secret aspirations. Then go through your dialogue and make sure each character is consistently drawing from that well of language. If two characters sound the same when you strip away the dialogue tags, this is the fix. 6. Find the Diagnostic Detail: The Diagonal Toast Avoid clichéd character tags—the random scar, the eye patch, the mysterious limp—unless they serve a deep narrative purpose. Matt Bird on episode 624 was very funny about this: he pointed out that Nick Fury, Odin, and eventually Thor all have eye patches in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Eye patches are done, he said. You cannot do eye patches anymore. Instead, look for what I'm calling the “diagonal toast” detail, after a scene Matt described from Captain Marvel. In the film, Captain Marvel is trying to determine whether Nick Fury is who he says he is. She asks him to prove he isn't a shapeshifting alien. Fury shares biographical details—his history, his mother—but then she pushes further and says, name one more thing you couldn't possibly have made up about yourself. And Fury says: if toast is cut diagonally, I can't eat it. Matt said that detail is gold for a writer because it feels pulled from a real life. You can pull it from your own life and gift it to your characters, and the reader can tell it's not manufactured. He gave another example from The Sopranos: Tony Soprano's mother won't answer the phone after dark. The show's creator, David Chase, confirmed on the DVD commentary that this came from his own mother, who genuinely would not answer the phone after dark and couldn't explain why. Matt's practical advice was to keep a journal. Write down the strange, specific things that people do or say. Mine your own life for those hyper-specific details. You just need one per book. In my own writing, I've used this approach. In my ARKANE thrillers, my character Morgan Sierra has always been Angelina Jolie in my mind—specifically Jolie in Lara Croft or Mr and Mrs Smith. And Blake Daniel in my crime thriller series was based on Jesse Williams from Grey's Anatomy. I paste pictures of actors into my Scrivener projects. It helps with visuals, but also with the sense of the character, their energy and physicality. But visual details only take you so far. It's the behavioural quirks—the diagonal toast moments—that make a character feel genuinely alive. That said, physical character tags can work brilliantly when they serve the story. As I discuss in How to Write a Novel, Robert Galbraith's Cormoran Strike is an amputee, and his pain and the physical challenges of his prosthesis are a key part of every story—it's not a cosmetic detail, it's woven into the action and the character's psychology. My character Blake Daniel always wears gloves to cover the scars on his hands, which provides an angle into his wounded past as well as a visual cue for the reader. And of course, Harry Potter's lightning-shaped scar isn't just a mark—it's a direct connection to his nemesis and the mythology of the entire series. The rule of thumb is: if the tag tells us something about the character's interior life or connects to the plot, it's earning its place. If it's just there to make the character visually distinctive, it's probably a crutch. Game of Thrones takes character tags further with the family houses, each with their own mottos and sigils. The Starks say “Winter is coming” and their sigil is a dire wolf. Those aren't just labels—they're worldview made visible. Actionable step: Start a “diagonal toast” notebook. Every time you notice something strange and specific about someone's behaviour—something that feels too real to be made up—write it down. Then gift it to a character who needs more texture. 7. Displace Your Own Trauma into the Work Barbara Nickless shared something deeply personal on episode 732 that fundamentally changed how I think about putting pain onto the page. While starting At First Light, the first book in her Dr. Evan Wilding series, she lost her son to epilepsy—something called SUDEP, Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy. One day he was there, and the next day he was gone. Barbara said that writing helped her cope with the trauma, that doing a deep dive into Old English literature and the Viking Age for the book's research became a lifeline. But here's what's important: she didn't give Dr. Evan Wilding her exact trauma. Evan Wilding is four feet five inches, and Barbara described how he has to walk through a world that won't adjust to him. That's its own form of learning to cope when circumstances are beyond your control. She displaced her genuine grief into the character's different but parallel struggle. When I asked her about the difference between writing for therapy and writing for an audience, she drew on her experience teaching creative writing to veterans through a collaboration between the US Department of Defense and the National Endowment for the Arts. She said she's found that she can pour her heartache into her characters and process it through them, even when writing professionally, and that the genuine emotion is what touches readers. We've all been through our own losses and griefs, so seeing how a character copes can be deeply meaningful. I've always found that putting my own pain onto the page is the most direct way to connect with a reader's soul. My character Morgan Sierra's musings on religion and the supernatural are often my own. Her restlessness, her fascination with the darker edges of faith—those come from me. But her Krav Maga fighting skills and her ability to kill the bad guys are definitely her own. That gap between what's mine and what's hers is where the fiction lives. Barbara also said something on that episode that I wrote down and stuck on my wall. She said the act of producing itself is a balm to the soul. I've been thinking about that ever since. On my own wall, I have “Measure your life by what you create.” Different words, same truth. Actionable step: If you're carrying something heavy—grief, anger, fear, regret—consider how you might displace it into a character's different but emotionally parallel struggle. Don't copy your exact situation; transform it. The emotion will be genuine, and the reader will feel it. 8. Write Diverse Characters as Real People When I spoke with Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer on episode 673—Sarah is Choctaw and a historical fiction author honoured by the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian—she offered a perspective that every fiction writer needs to hear. The key message was to move away from stereotypes. Don't write your American Indian character as the “Wise Guide” who exists solely to dispense mystic wisdom to the white protagonist. Don't limit diverse characters to historical settings, as though they only exist in the past. Place them in normal, contemporary roles. Your spaceship captain, your forensic scientist, your small-town baker—any of them can be American Indian, or Nigerian, or Japanese, and their heritage should be a lived-in part of their identity, not the sole reason they exist in the story. I write international thrillers and dark fantasy, and my fiction is populated with characters from all over the world. I have a multi-cultural family and I've lived in many places and travelled widely, so I've met, worked with, and had relationships with people from different cultures. I find story ideas through travel, and if I set my books in a certain place, then the story is naturally populated with the people who live there. As I discuss in my book, How to Write a Novel, the world is a diverse place, so your fiction needs to be populated with all kinds of people. If I only populated my fiction with characters like me, they would be boring novels. There are many dimensions of difference—race, nationality, sex, age, body type, ability, religion, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, class, culture, education level—and even then, don't assume that similar types of people think the same way. Some authors worry they will make mistakes. We live in a time of outrage, and some authors have been criticised for writing outside their own experience. So is it too dangerous to try? Of course not. The media amplifies outliers, and most authors include diverse characters in every book without causing offence because they work hard to get it right. It's about awareness, research, and intent. Actionable step: Audit the cast of your current work in progress. Have you written a mono-cultural perspective for all of them? If so, consider who could bring a different background, perspective, or set of cultural specifics to the story. Not as a token addition, but as a real person with a real life. 9. Respect Tribal and Cultural Specificity Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer on episode 673 was emphatic about one thing: never treat diverse groups as monolithic. If you're writing a Native American character, you must research the specific nation. Choctaw is not Navajo, just as British is not French. Sarah described the distinct cultural markers of the Choctaw people—the diamond pattern you'll see on traditional shirts and dresses, which represents the diamondback rattlesnake. They have distinct dances and songs. She said that if she saw someone in traditional dress at a distance, she would know whether they were Choctaw based on what they were wearing. She encouraged writers who want to write specifically about a nation to get to know those people. Go to events, go to a powwow, learn about the individual culture. She noted that a big misconception is that American Indians exist only in the past—she stressed that they are still here, still living their cultures, and fiction should reflect that present reality. I took a similar approach when writing Destroyer of Worlds, which is set mostly in India. I read books about Hindu myth, watched documentaries about the sadhus, and had one of my Indian readers from Mumbai check my cultural references. For Risen Gods, set in New Zealand with a young Maori protagonist, I studied books about Maori mythology and fiction by Maori authors, and had a male Maori reader check for cultural issues. Research is simply an act of empathy. The practical takeaway is this: if you're going to include a character from a specific cultural background, do the work. Use specific cultural details rather than generic signifiers. Sarah talked about how even she fell into stereotypes when she was first writing, until her mother pointed them out. If someone from within a culture can fall into those traps, the rest of us certainly can. Do the research, try your best, ask for help, and apologise if you need to. Actionable step: If you're writing a character from a specific culture, identify three to five sensory or behavioural details that are particular to that culture—not the generic version, but the real, researched, lived-in version. Consider hiring a sensitivity reader from that community to check your work. 10. Give Your Protagonist a Morally Neutral ‘Hero' Status Matt Bird was clear about this on episode 624: the word “hero” simply means the protagonist, the person we follow through the story. It's a functional role, not a moral label. We don't have to like them. We don't even have to root for their goals in a moral sense. We just have to find them compelling enough to invest our attention in their problem-solving. Think of Succession, where every member of the Roy family is varying degrees of awful, and yet the show was utterly compelling. Or WeCrashed, where Adam Neumann is a narcissistic con artist, but we can't look away because he's trying to solve the enormous problem of building an empire from nothing, and the tradecraft he employs is fascinating. As I wrote in How to Write a Novel, readers must want to spend time with your characters. They don't have to be lovable or even likable—that will depend on your genre and story choices—but they have to be captivating enough that we want to spend time with them. A character who is trying to solve a massive problem will naturally draw investment from the audience, even if we wouldn't want to have tea with them. Will Storr extended this idea by pointing out that the audience will actually root for a character to solve their problem even if the audience doesn't actually want the character's goal to be achieved in the real world. We don't really want more billionaires, but we invested in Adam Neumann's rise because that was the problem the story posed, and our brains are wired to invest in problem-solving. This connects to something deeper: what does your character want, and why? As I explore in How to Write a Novel, desire operates on multiple levels. Take a character like Phil, who joins the military during wartime. On the surface, she wants to serve her country. But she also wants to escape her dead-end town and learn new skills. Deeper still, her father and grandfather served, and by joining up, she hopes to finally earn their respect. And perhaps deepest of all, her father died on a mission under mysterious circumstances, and she wants to find out what happened from the inside. That layering of motivation is what turns a flat character into a three-dimensional one. The audience doesn't need to be told all of this explicitly. It can emerge through action, dialogue, and the choices the character makes under pressure. But you, the writer, need to know it. You need to know what your character really wants deep down, because that desire—more than any external plot device—is what drives the story forward. And your antagonist needs the same depth. They also want something, often diametrically opposed to your protagonist, and they need a reason that makes sense to them. In my ARKANE thriller Tree of Life, my antagonist is the heiress of a Brazilian mining empire who wants to restore the Earth to its original state to atone for the destruction caused by her father's company. She's part of a radical ecological group who believe the only way to restore Nature is to end all human life. It's extreme, but in an era of climate change, it's a motivation readers can understand—even if they disagree with the solution. Actionable step: If you're struggling to make a morally grey character work, make sure their problem is big enough and their methods are specific and interesting enough that we invest in the how, even if we're ambivalent about the what. 11. Build Vibrant Side Characters Gail Carriger made a point on episode 550 that was equal parts craft advice and business strategy. In a Heroine's Journey model, side characters aren't just fodder to be killed off to motivate the hero. They form a network. And because you don't have to kill them—unlike in a hero's journey, where allies are often betrayed or removed so the hero can be further isolated—you can pick up those side characters and give them their own books. Gail said this creates a really voracious reader base. You write one series with vivid side characters, and then readers fall in love with those side characters and want their stories. So you write spin-offs. The romance genre does this brilliantly—think of the Bridgerton books, where each sibling gets their own novel. The side character in one book becomes the protagonist in the next. Barbara Nickless experienced this firsthand with her Dr. Evan Wilding series. She has River Wilding, Evan's adventurous brother, and Diana, the axe-throwing research assistant, and her editor has already expressed interest in a spin-off series with those characters. Barbara described creating characters she wants to spend time with, or characters who give her nightmares but also intrigue her. That's the dual test: are they interesting enough for you to write, and interesting enough for readers to demand more? As I wrote in How to Write a Novel, characters that span series can deepen the reader's relationship with them as you expand their backstory into new plots. Readers will remember the character more than the plot or the book title, and look forward to the next instalment because they want more time with those people. British crime author Angela Marsons described it as readers feeling like returning to her characters is like putting on a pair of old slippers. Actionable step: Look at your supporting cast. Is there a side character who is vivid enough to carry their own story? If not, what could you add—a specific hobby, a distinct voice, a compelling backstory—that would make readers want more of them? 12. Use Voice as a Rhythmic Tool Voice is one of the most important elements of novel writing, and Matt Bird helped me think about it in a technical, mechanical way that I found really useful. He pointed out that the ratio of periods to commas defines a character's internal reality. A staccato rhythm—lots of periods, short sentences—suggests a character who is certain, grounded, or perhaps survivalist and traumatised. Katniss in The Hunger Games has a period-heavy voice. She's in survival mode. She doesn't have time for complexity or qualification. A flowing, comma-heavy style suggests someone more academic, more nuanced, or possibly more scattered and manipulative. The character who qualifies everything, who adds sub-clauses and digressions, is a different kind of person from the character who speaks in declarations. This is something you can actually measure. Pull up a passage of your character's dialogue or internal monologue and count the periods versus the commas. If the rhythm doesn't match who the character is supposed to be, you've found a mismatch you can fix. Sentence length is the heartbeat of your character's persona. And voice extends beyond rhythm to the words themselves. As I discussed in the metaphor families tip, each character should draw from a distinctive well of language. But voice also encompasses their relationship to silence. Some characters talk around the thing they mean; others say it straight. Some are self-deprecating; others are blunt to the point of rudeness. All of these choices are character choices, not just style choices. I find it useful to read my dialogue aloud—and not just to check for naturalness, but to hear whether each character sounds distinct. If you could swap dialogue lines between two characters and nobody would notice, you have a voice problem. One practical test: cover the dialogue tags and see if you can tell who's speaking from the words alone. Actionable step: Choose a key passage from your protagonist's point of view and read it aloud. Does the rhythm match the character? A soldier under fire should not sound like a philosophy professor at a wine tasting. Adjust the ratio of periods to commas until the voice feels right. 13. Link Character and Plot Until They're Inseparable Will Storr made the case on episode 490 that the number one problem he sees in the writing he encounters—in workshops, in submissions, even in published books—is that the characters and the plots are unconnected. There's a story happening, and there are people in it, but the story isn't a product of who those people are. He said a story should be like life. In our lives, the plots are intimately connected to who we are as characters. The goals we pursue, the obstacles we face, the same problems that keep recurring—these are products of our personalities, our flaws, our specific ways of being in the world. His framework is that your plot should be designed specifically to plot against your character. You've got a character with a particular flaw; the plot exists to test that flaw over and over until the character either transforms or doubles down and explodes. Jaws is the perfect example. Brody is afraid of water. A shark shows up in the coastal town he's responsible for protecting. The entire plot is engineered to force him to confront the one thing he cannot face. Will pointed out that the whole plot of Jaws is structured around Brody's flaw. It begins with the shark arriving, the midpoint is when Brody finally gets the courage to go into the water, and the very final scene isn't the shark blowing up—it's Brody swimming back through the water. Even a film that's ninety-eight percent action is, at its core, structured around a character with a character flaw. This is the standard I aspire to in my own work, even in my action-heavy thrillers. The external plot should be a mirror of the internal struggle. When those two are aligned, the story becomes irresistible. Will also made an important point about series fiction, which is where most commercial authors live. I asked him how this works when your character can't be transformed at the end of every book because there has to be a next book. His answer was elegant: you don't cure them. Episodic TV characters like Fleabag or David Brent or Basil Fawlty never truly change—and the fact that they don't change is actually the source of the comedy. But every episode throws a new story event at them that tests and exposes their flaw. You just keep throwing story events at them again and again. That's a soap opera, a sitcom, and a book series. As I wrote in How to Write a Novel, character flaws are aspects of personality that affect the person so much that facing and overcoming them becomes central to the plot. In Jaws, the protagonist Brody is afraid of the water, but he has to overcome that flaw to destroy the killer shark and save the town. But remember, your characters should feel like real people, so never define them purely by their flaws. The character addicted to painkillers might also be a brilliant and successful female lawyer who gets up at four in the morning to work out at the gym, likes eighties music, and volunteers at the local dog shelter at weekends. Character wounds are different from flaws. They're formed from life experience and are part of your character's backstory—traumatic events that happened before the events of your novel but shape the character's reactions in the present. In my ARKANE thrillers, Morgan Sierra's husband Elian died in her arms during a military operation. This happened before the series begins, but her memories of it recur when she faces a firefight, and she struggles to find happiness again for fear of losing someone she loves once more. And then there's the perennial advice: show, don't tell. Most writers have heard this so many times that it's easy to nod and then promptly write scenes that tell rather than show. Basically, you need to reveal your character through action and dialogue, rather than explanation. In my thriller Day of the Vikings, Morgan Sierra fights a Neo-Viking in the halls of the British Museum and brings him down with Krav Maga. That fight scene isn't just about showing action. It opens up questions about her backstory, demonstrates character, and moves the plot forward. Telling would be something like: “Morgan was an expert in Krav Maga.” Showing is the reader discovering it through the scene itself. Actionable step: Look at the main plot events of your novel. For each major turning point, ask: does this scene specifically test my protagonist's flaw? If not, can you redesign the scene so that it does? The tighter the connection between character and plot, the more powerful the story. 14. The ‘Maestra' Approach: Write Out of Order If you're a discovery writer like me, you may feel like the deep character work I've been describing sounds more suited to plotters. But Barbara Nickless gave me a beautiful metaphor on episode 732 that reframes it entirely. Barbara described her evolving writing process as being like a maestra standing in front of an orchestra. Sometimes you bring in the horns—a certain theme—and sometimes you bring in the strings—a certain character—and sometimes you turn to the soloist. It's a more organic and jumping-around process than linear writing, and Barbara said she's only recently given herself permission to work this way. When I told her that I use Scrivener to write in scenes out of order and then drag and drop them into a structure later, she was genuinely intrigued. And this is how I've always worked. I'll see the story in my mind like a movie trailer—flashes of the big emotional scenes, the pivotal confrontations, the moments of revelation—and I write those first. I don't know how they hang together until quite late in the process. Then I'll move scenes around, print the whole thing out, and figure out the connective tissue. The point is that discovery writers can absolutely build deep characters. Sometimes writing the big emotional scenes first is how you discover who the character is before you fill in the rest. You don't need a twenty-page character worksheet or a 200-page outline like Jeffery Deaver. You need to be willing to follow the character into the unknown and trust that the structure will emerge. As Barbara said, she writes to know what she's thinking. That's the discovery writer's credo. And I would add: I write to know who my characters are. Actionable step: If you're stuck on your current chapter, skip it. Write the scene that's burning in your imagination, even if it's from the middle or the end. That scene might be the key to unlocking who your character really is. 15. Use Research to Help with Empathy Research shouldn't just be about factual accuracy—it's a tool for finding the sensory details that create empathy. Barbara Nickless described research as almost an excuse to explore things that fascinate her, and I feel exactly the same way. I would go so far as to say that writing is an excuse for me to explore the things that interest me. Barbara and I both travel for our stories. For her Dr. Evan Wilding books, she did deep research into Old English literature and the Viking Age. For my thriller End of Days, I transcribed hours of video from Appalachian snake-handling churches on YouTube to understand the worldview of the worshippers, because my antagonist was brought up in that tradition. I couldn't just make that up. I had to hear their language, feel their conviction, understand why they would hold venomous serpents as an act of faith. Barbara also mentioned getting to Israel and the West Bank for research, and I've been to both places too. Finding that one specific sensory detail—the smell of a particular location, the specific way an expert handles a tool, the sound of a particular kind of music—makes the character's life feel lived-in. It's the difference between a character who is described as living in a place and a character who inhabits it. As I wrote in How to Write a Novel, don't write what you know. Write what you want to learn about. I love research. It's part of why I'm an author in the first place. I take any excuse to dive into a world different from my own. Research using books, films, podcasts, and travel, and focus particularly on sources produced by people from the worldview you want to understand. Actionable step: For your next piece of character research, go beyond reading. Watch a documentary, visit a location, talk to someone who lives the experience. Find one sensory detail—a smell, a sound, a texture—that you couldn't have invented. That detail will make your character feel real. Bonus: Measure Your Life by What You Create In an age of AI and a tsunami of content, your ultimate brand protection is the quality of your human creation. Barbara Nickless said that the act of producing itself is a balm to the soul, and I believe that with every fibre of my being. Don't be afraid to take that step back, like I did with my deadlifting. Take the time to master these deeper craft skills. It might feel like you're slowing down or going backwards by not chasing the latest marketing trend, but it's the only way to step forward into a sustainable, high-quality career. Your characters are your signature. No AI can replicate the specificity of your lived experience, the emotional truth of your displaced trauma, or the sensory details you've gathered from a life of curiosity and travel. Those are yours. Pour them into your characters, and they will resonate for years to come. Actionable Takeaway: Identify the Dramatic Question for your current protagonist. Can you state it in a single sentence with the kind of specificity Will Storr described? Is it as clear as “Are you ordinary or extraordinary?” or “Are you the only adult in the room?” If you can't answer it with that kind of precision, your character might still be a sketch. Give them a diagonal toast moment today. Find the one hyper-specific detail that proves they are not an imitation of life. And then ask yourself: does your plot test your character's flaw in every major scene? If you can align those two things—a precisely defined character and a plot that exists to test them—you will have a story that readers cannot put down. References and Deep Dives The episodes I've referenced today are all available with full transcripts at TheCreativePenn.com: Episode 732 — Facing Fears, and Writing Unique Characters with Barbara Nickless Episode 673 — Writing Choctaw Characters and Diversity in Fiction with Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer Episode 624 — Writing Characters with Matt Bird Episode 550 — The Heroine's Journey with Gail Carriger Episode 490 — How Character Flaws Shape Story with Will Storr Books mentioned: The Secrets of Character: Writing a Hero Anyone Will Love by Matt Bird The Science of Storytelling by Will Storr The Heroine's Journey by Gail Carriger How to Write a Novel: From Idea to Book by Joanna Penn You can find all my books for authors at CreativePennBooks.com and my fiction and memoir at JFPennBooks.com Happy writing! How was this episode created? This episode was initiated created by NotebookLM based on YouTube videos of the episodes linked above from YouTube/TheCreativePenn, plus my text chapters on character from How to Write a Novel. NotebookLM created a blog post from the material and then I expanded it and fact checked it with Claude.ai 4.6 Opus, and then I used my voice clone at ElevenLabs to narrate it. The post Writing Characters: 15 Actionable Tips For Writing Deep Character first appeared on The Creative Penn.

On Episode 495 we discuss...→ Weird Baby Form→ "He's British"→ Dumblestore→ Disney discussion galore→ Harry's dreams underwhelm→ Tropical bird delivery→ Unsubtle expositionBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/alohomora-the-original-harry-potter-book-club--5016402/support.

On this week's episode, unless you have a bezoar (and a bit of cheek) handy, we highly recommend you brush up on on all of Golpalott's laws! Join Andrew, Eric, Micah and Laura for a show full of alchemy, apparition and plenty of teenage angst! News: Warner Bros. Discovery has a new home in Paramount; plus several dozen young actors have been cast as various Hogwarts students Chapter-by-Chapter continues with Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 18: Birthday Surprises We analyze Golpalott's Third Law: could this Potions class teach Harry something about how to ultimately destroy Voldemort? Does the creation of a Horcrux have an alchemical element to it? How does alchemy present in other book series, such as The Secrets of the Immortal Nicolas Flamel? Can we expect to learn more about Dumbledore and Flamel's partnership in the new Harry Potter TV Show? Apparition: Just put your mind to it! Does this class pass our sniff test? Bezoar! Hermione is upset (again) with Harry's success in Potions. Does Harry's cheek make him a bit to overconfident when trying to acquire Slughorn's unredacted memory? When Harry can't locate Malfoy on the Marauder's Map, why does overlook the Room of Requirement? MVP: Destination. Determination. Deliberation. Which is the of the Three D's? Lynx Line: Name a time in school where you found yourself totally out of your depth subject-wise. Did you overcome your knowledge gap? If so, was it due to hard work and determination? A good teacher or tutor? Or did you merely squeak by in class and never take up the subject again? Quizzitch: In this chapter, a bezoar from the stomach of a goat is used as a cure for poison. In reality, bezoars can appear in humans as ailments. What popular soft drink brand is used to treat bezoars in humans? Answer next week's question via the Quizzitch Form! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When we think about heroes, the names that come to mind are often male. Yes, in history books, but also in everyday pop culture. From Neo in The Matrix to Luke Skywalker in Star Wars to Harry Potter himself, many of our most celebrated hero narratives center on a single “chosen one”. But when we look more closely at those stories, we often discover something important: heroes rarely stand alone. In this episode of the Advancing Women Podcast, in Women's History Month, we revisit the wizarding world of Harry Potter and shine a light on the women whose courage, intelligence, leadership, and moral conviction helped save the wizarding world. From Lily Potter's sacrificial love to Hermione Granger's strategic brilliance, from Molly Weasley's fierce protection to Minerva McGonagall's steadfast leadership, the women of Hogwarts repeatedly demonstrate that heroism takes many forms. We also explore the courage of Ginny Weasley, who grows into her voice and leadership, the quiet wisdom and authenticity of Luna Lovegood, and the surprising role of Narcissa Malfoy, whose love for her son leads her to defy Voldemort at a pivotal moment. Together, these characters remind us that the most powerful acts of courage are not always the most visible. Sometimes heroism looks like sacrifice. Sometimes it looks like preparation. Sometimes it looks like standing your ground. Sometimes it looks like finding your voice. And sometimes, it looks like simply refusing to stop being yourself. In the end, the wizarding world may have been saved by the “chosen one”… but he was never the only hero. Key Takeaway: There are different kinds of courage. Different kinds of leadership. Different kinds of heroism. And when we start to recognize them, we begin to see the extraordinary women who may have been saving the world all along. Listen if you enjoy: • Harry Potter analysis • Women's leadership stories • Feminist perspectives on popular culture • Character-driven storytelling • Women's History Month reflections #HarryPotter #WomenInLeadership #WomensHistoryMonth #WomenWhoLead #advancingwomenpodcst Let's Connect: ·        Instagram: @AdvancingWomenPodcast  ·        Facebook: Advancing Women Podcast  ·        LinkedIn: Dr. Kimberly DeSimone 

This week, Andrew, Micah and Laura enter a new era of MuggleCast, as we kick off the first in a series of monthly episodes focused on the new Harry Potter TV Show. The Trio talk about the latest news, lay down some predictions and play some new games! Set photos of the TV Show's Hogwarts Courtyard have leaked: will these new House Sigil Hedges come to life? Laura and Micah react to Ravenclaw's sigil finally being an eagle! How much are the show's creators taking inspiration from Hogwarts Legacy? Beyond The Books: Lox Pratt, the actor playing Young Draco, says we'll be seeing Draco at Malfoy Manor in the first season! Nick Frost manifested getting the role of Hagrid by writing Hagrid 7,000 times while watching the movies. He also took up knitting! MAX That: Can we expect to see more Vampires in this version of the Wizarding World? The hosts test their Harry Potter knowledge: Was This Line in the Sorcerer's Stone Book AND Movie? Our Lynx Line asked our patrons: Who will be the first character to appear on screen? When can we expect our first trailer? In Bonus MuggleCast, available exclusively on Patreon: We make our official predictions for the new TV show and even throw down a few knuts to keep things interesting! Will we see Voldemort on screen in Episode 1? Will the Sorting Hat sing the full song? Over the series, will we ever get a full episode without Harry present? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices