Not My Fantasy

Wicked Part One (2024) (feat. Down the Yellow Brick Pod)

We’re going back before the brick road was yellow to discuss the Wicked movie! We’re joined by Tara and EmKay of Down the Yellow Brick Pod to talk about the movie, the musical, and the book! Cullen holds space for the future Shiz University Library LEGO set, Hannah goes on a face journey hearing the plot of the book, Tara spreads Gregory Maguire’s pro-crone message, and EmKay spotlights Cynthia and Ariana’s award-nomination-worthy scenes.
 
Want more Tara, EmKay, and Oz? Listen to Down the Yellow Brick Pod wherever you get your podcasts. And follow them on Instagram: @DownTheYellowBrickPod. 
 
Research for this episode:
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire
 
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Research & Writing by Cullen Callaghan. 
This episode was edited by Hannah Sylvester.
 
Cover Art by William Callaghan
Intro Music: "The Quest" by Scott Little.

The Wizard of Oz (1939) (feat. Jenna Karn)

We’re entering our Oz era. This week, we’re talking about the classic fantasy film “The Wizard of Oz” starring Judy Garland. Cullen takes us through the crazy fantasy of the L. Frank Baum book, Hannah shows off her Oz swag from her theatre viewing, and our guest Jenna shares her wonderful experience meeting the munchkins as a kid.
 
Research for this episode:
Yale Film Archive 
Wizard of Oz and the LGBT Community 
Judy Garland as a Gay Icon .
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum 
Baum’s Comments about Native Americans 
The Rainbow Flag 
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Follow Our Adventures on Social Media:
 
@notmyfantasypod
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Research & Writing by Cullen Callaghan. 
This episode was edited by Hannah Sylvester.
 
Cover Art by William Callaghan
Intro Music: "The Quest" by Scott Little.

Night of the Living Dead (1968) (feat. Mike Lera)

We’re ending our first zombie series with the classic that launched the modern, pop culture zombie: George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (1968). We’re joined by writer, filmmaker and all-around horror buff Mike Lera to explore how Romero’s ghouls got the zombie moniker. In this episode, Cullen accidentally watches the 1990 remake, Hannah reminds us of the importance of remembering the original Haitian zombie and its history, and Mike shares his experience meeting Judith O’Dea, a.k.a Catatonic Barbara.
 
Check out Mike on Instagram and Facebook @MikeLera.author.screenwriter, on YouTube @MikeLera and be sure to check out his work on MikeLera.com.
 
Research for this episode:
“The Tragic Forgotten History of Zombies” by Mike Marian - The Atlantic
“Romero Invented Flesh Eaters” - Zombie Research Society
“Infographic: The Ultimate Guide to Zombies” by Luke W. Boyd - Zombie Research Society
I Am Legend (Novel) - Wikipedia
Night of the Living Dead - Wikipedia
 
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Watch Us on YouTube!
 
Follow Our Adventures on Social Media:
 
@notmyfantasypod
Instagram
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Research & Writing by Hannah Sylvester. 
This episode was edited by Hannah Sylvester.
 
Cover Art by William Callaghan
Intro Music: "The Quest" by Scott Little.

Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998) (feat. Christian Cintron)

Zoinks! The NMF gang watches “Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island” and, like, we weren’t prepared for such a rich discussion on zombies. This week, we dive into the voodoo of New Orleans and how this movie uses it as a backdrop for benevolent zombies, voodoo dolls, and werecats! Cullen reveals himself to be the lost 5th (human) member of the Mystery Inc. gang, Hannah headbangs through the music numbers, and our guest Christian does a Charli XCX impression so good, you’ll get the heebie-jeebies. 
 
Check out Christian Cintron on Instagram and X @StandUp4YourPower, and watch his comedy special “Laugh Proud” for FREE on Tubi!
 
Research for this episode:
The Zombie Island Reboot Era - HassledVania
The History of Scooby Doo - Dave Lee Down Under
"Scooby-lution” - Obscure Obsessions
Obscure Obsessions Episode on Scooby Doo
Louisiana Voodoo–Mystery in Motion: African Spirituality in Mardi Gras - Louisiana State Museums
New Orleans Voodoo - NewOrleans.com 
“Voodoo, Psychics & Spirituality” - Folks, PBS
Voodoo doll - Wikipedia
Voodoo Is Rebounding in New Orleans After Hurricane Katrina - Newsweek
Hexing a Hurricane - Wikipedia
“God, Gays, and Voodoo: Voicing Blame for Katrina” - Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal
Cats in Ancient Egypt - Wikipedia
Cats, Bastet and the Worship of Feline Gods - American Research Center in Egypt
The 'Feline States of America': How Cats Helped Shape The US - WUWM
 
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Watch Us on YouTube!
 
Follow Our Adventures on Social Media:
 
@notmyfantasypod
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Research & Writing by Hannah Sylvester and Cullen Callaghan. 
This episode was edited by Hannah Sylvester.
 
Cover Art by William Callaghan
Intro Music: "The Quest" by Scott Little.

The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988) (feat. Kyle Leone of The Gory Days)

To start off spooky month, we’re exploring the Haitian-Vodou origins of the zombie in the 1988 Wes Craven film, “The Serpent and the Rainbow.” Hannah takes the lead, diving into the real-life story of zombification and the years of scientific study on the phenomenon that inspired the film. With our friend and fellow podcaster Kyle Leone, we have a fascinating conversation about the brutal historical context and rich folklore of the original zombie as it’s explored in this equally fascinating zombie film.
 
Check out Kyle Leone and his podcast The Gory Days on Kyle-Leone.com or wherever you get your podcasts!
 
Research for this episode:
The Serpent and the Rainbow (film) - Wikipedia
Slavery and the Haitian Revolution - Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media (George Mason University)
Haiti (Saint-Domingue) - SlaveryandRemembrance.org
The Secrets of Haiti’s Living Dead - Harvard Magazine
Clairvius Narcisse - Wikipedia
The Serpent and the Rainbow (book) - Wikipedia
“The Tragic Forgotten History of Zombies” by Mike Marian -, The Atlantic
 
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Watch Us on YouTube!
 
Follow Our Adventures on Social Media:
 
@notmyfantasypod
Instagram
TikTok
 
Research & Writing by Hannah Sylvester. 
This episode was edited by Hannah Sylvester.
 
Cover Art by William Callaghan
Intro Music: "The Quest" by Scott Little.

Over the Moon (2020) (feat. Ellen Na)

This week, we’re crying our eyes out over the idea of change and new love after grief in the 2020 animated film “Over the Moon” from Netflix and Pearl Studio. Our friend Ellen joins Cullen and Hannah to fangirl over our new favorite lunar pop princess deity, Chang’e. Listen to us chat about the Mid-Autumn Lunar Festival and the different versions of the Chang’e story, shake our butts to “Ultraluminary” in the club, and induct Fei Fei into the Women in STEM Hall of Fame.
 
Research for this episode:
Handbook of Chinese Mythology 
The Fairytellers 
Over the Moon and Chinese Culture 
 
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Watch Us on YouTube!
 
Follow Our Adventures on Social Media:
 
@notmyfantasypod
Instagram
TikTok
 
Research & Writing by Cullen Callaghan. 
This episode was edited by Hannah Sylvester.
 
Cover Art by William Callaghan
Intro Music: "The Quest" by Scott Little.

Disney Descendants Deep-Dive (Part 2)

Cullen and Hannah continue down the Descendants Rabbit Hole and overcomplicate Cullen’s conspiracy board as they analyze Descendants: the Royal Wedding and Descendants Rise of Red. Can they untangle the Descendants timeline and deal with all the complications and worldbuilding deviations Rise of Red brings or just shrug and say it’s for kids? It’s Cullen and Hannah so of course they will go crazy trying to decipher this lore and ask once and for all, what do good and evil look like? 
Research for this episode:
Queen of Mean Charting 
My Immortal 
TikTok Aesthetic 
Descendants Novels, Web Series, and Stage Play 
Goth History
Doll Drama 
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Watch Us on YouTube!
 
Follow Our Adventures on Social Media:
 
@notmyfantasypod
Instagram
TikTok
 
Research & Writing by Cullen Callaghan. 
This episode was edited by Hannah Sylvester.
 
Cover Art by William Callaghan
Intro Music: "The Quest" by Scott Little.

Disney Descendants Deep-Dive (Part 1)

Follow Cullen and Hannah into the lore that is the Descendants franchise (2015-Present) as we dissect this Disney Channel Fanfic Franchise as a case study for the commodification of morality in the modern world. Are Good and Evil merely aesthetics? Join us on an unhinged pop culture journey to find out. In part 1 we discuss the Original Trilogy (2015-2019) and the wild lore it creates to carry us between banger dance numbers. 
Research for this episode:
Queen of Mean Charting 
My Immortal 
TikTok Aesthetic 
Descendants Novels, Web Series, and Stage Play 
Goth History
Doll Drama 
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Watch Us on YouTube!
 
Follow Our Adventures on Social Media:
 
@notmyfantasypod
Instagram
TikTok
 
Research & Writing by Cullen Callaghan. 
This episode was edited by Hannah Sylvester.
 
Cover Art by William Callaghan
Intro Music: "The Quest" by Scott Little.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves (2023) (ft. Maiko Greenleaf)

Ask us what kind of tree it is, because it’s a Chris Pine (movie). We watched “Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves” and explored the world of the Forgotten Realms with our favorite dorky, dysfunctional adventuring party. Cullen references The Veggie Tales for the 100th time, Hannah shares her close call with a rogue gang of Minions, and Maiko reports live from Legolas’ back woods.
 
Check out our guest appearance on Shoot the Flick! We had a fun conversation dissecting the obliteration of history in “Night About the Museum.” You can find that episode of Shoot the Flick on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more!
 
Research for this episode:
Dungeons & Dragons - Wikipedia
Miniature wargaming - Wikipedia
Chainmail (game) - Wikipedia
Editions of Dungeons & Dragons - Wikipedia
Forgotten Realms - Wikipedia 
Harpers - Wikipedia 
Emerald Enclave - Wikipedia 
Neverwinter - Wikipedia 
 
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Watch Us on YouTube!
 
Follow Our Adventures on Social Media:
 
@notmyfantasypod
Instagram
TikTok
 
Research & Writing by Cullen Callaghan & Hannah Sylvester. 
This episode was edited by Hannah Sylvester.
 
Cover Art by William Callaghan
Intro Music: "The Quest" by Scott Little.

1st Famtasy Choice Awards (50 Episode Celebration)

The Famtasy Choice Awards (50 Episode Celebration)
 
Cullen and Hannah thank viewers like you and hand out Famtasy Choice Awards to the characters, songs and movies we’ve met on the Fantastical Adventure as voted by our listeners. We also read comments and reviews and celebrate the journey of our first 50 episodes. Thank you listeners for listening to 50 episodes of magic, mayhem, and movies!
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Watch Us on YouTube!
 
Follow Our Adventures on Social Media:
 
@notmyfantasypod
Instagram
TikTok
 
Research & Writing by Cullen Callaghan. 
This episode was edited by Hannah Sylvester.
 
Cover Art by William Callaghan
Intro Music: "The Quest" by Scott Little.