Not My Fantasy
Not My Fantasy is a podcast where BFFs Hannah and Cullen take a journey through fantasy and fairytale films discussing their folkloric origins, wild storylines, and fantastical aesthetics and ultimately asking the question ”Is this my fantasy?”
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Episodes
Tuesday Jul 04, 2023
Tuesday Jul 04, 2023
MINISODE: Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023)
PLOT TWIST! Benevolent sea creature season isn’t over just yet. Cullen and Hannah talk about Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken, a movie they both thought would be very shallow and not good. Turns out, it’s got deep layers of pro-xenophia propaganda, complex multi-generational mother-daughter relationships, and enough surface-level anti-mermaid discourse and Disney deconstruction to turn this minisode into, well, an episode.
Check out Camp Oracle, a four-episode, live D&D campaign series Cullen is hosting with Outside In Theatre. It premieres Tuesday, July 18, at 7PM PST/10EST on Twitch at twitch.tv/outsideinthtr. Make sure to follow Outside In Theatre on Instagram (@outsideinthtr), too.
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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.
Saturday Jun 24, 2023
Saturday Jun 24, 2023
The Little Mermaid (2023) (feat. Debbie Danielpour)
It’s our final dive under the sea this year, and we watched the Little Mermaid 2023 live-action remake. We’re joined by one of our professors from grad school, screenwriter Debbie Danielpour, to dissect this adaptation and bemoan the Disney live-action remake as a genre. We’re light on lore but heavy on the hot takes, like loving the “Scuttlebutt” song, hating that the fish in “Under the Sea” don’t play their bodies like instruments, and being very bored by Melissa McCarthy’s Ursula.
Thank you so much to Debbie for reminiscing about our grad school days and making us feel special anytime she said we made a good point.
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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.
Saturday Jun 10, 2023
Saturday Jun 10, 2023
Luca (2021) (feat. Derek Shea)
Ciao! Piacere, amici! We’re spending part of our Mer-May/Mer-Summer in the beautiful Italian Riviera with the 2021 Pixar animated film, Luca! First, we get a brief tasting of multiple sea creature mythologies from all over the world. Then, we dive into the queer-coded plot and character dynamics, cringe at the bottom-feeder villain, and celebrate the powerful friendships between Luca, Alberto and Guilia. Oh, and Hannah finally admits she was wrong in hate-turning off this movie when she first tried to watch it in 2021 because she thought the movie was going to be something else. Spoiler alert: It’s her fantasy!
Big thanks to our special guest and friend-of-the-pod Derek for joining us in celebrating Pride Month. Give him a follow on Instagram @derek_shea.
P.S. - Please forgive our technical difficulties with Derek’s video and audio freezing and getting robotic sometimes. Elsa, Queen Emeritus of Arendelle, cursed his internet modem.
Research for this episode:
Mermaids and the African Diaspora - The Fairy Tellers
Don’t Call Me Ishmael - Fairy Tale Fix
Wikipedia
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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.
Monday May 29, 2023
Monday May 29, 2023
Episode 17: The Little Mermaid (1989) (feat. Fairy Tale Fix)
We’re under da sea with Abbie and Kelsey of the Fairy Tale Fix podcast, diving into the world of The Little Mermaid (1989). We talk about mythology and literary tales that inspired this Disney Renaissance classic, including the story of Undine and the Hans Christian Andersen tale “The Little Mermaid.” And we cover the metaphor of queerness that mermaids have always possessed, gush over how amazing Ursula is as a girlboss sea witch, and praise Eric for rolling with the punches to help out his hot-mess girlfriend Ariel.
Check out Fairy Tale Fix on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter @fairytalefixpod. And be sure to listen to all of their mermaid content for even more deep, gay lore about these sea creatures and the bi disaster Hans Christian Andersen. You can find them wherever you listen to Not My Fantasy!
Research for this episode:
The Little Mermaid - Hans Christian Andersen
Undine - Friedrich de La Motte Foque
Miscellaneous Myths: Narcissus - Overly Sarcastic Productions
Narcissus in Ovid
Our recommendations for other content:
Mermaids of the African Diaspora - The Fairy Tellers Podcast
Don’t Call Me Ishmael - Fairy Tale Fix Pod
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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.
Saturday May 13, 2023
Saturday May 13, 2023
The Last Unicorn (1982) (feat. Allyssa Swearingen)
The third film in the Crag-verse is the 1982 animated cult classic, The Last Unicorn. We’re joined once again by our friend Allyssa because this fantasy movie is one of her absolute favorites — and Cullen’s too! But Hannah thought it was super boring. We chat about everything from the dynamic lore of unicorns and harpies, the movie’s ‘70s folk-rock soundtrack, a Last Unicorn-themed story pitch for Dimension 20, and the top tips for protecting yourself against immortal beings (because, obviously, they exist).
Check out Allyssa and her awesome art (often D&D inspired!) on Instagram @a.m.swearingen! And, if you love our dynamic as a trio, then you’ll love Gleeboot, a podcast where we got drunk and talked about rebooting Glee one episode at a time. Find Gleeboot wherever you listen to Not My Fantasy!
Research for this episode:
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
A lot of google searches and Podcasts
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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.
Saturday Apr 29, 2023
Saturday Apr 29, 2023
Sleeping Beauty (1959) (feat. Cassie Hock)
We talk about fairytale heavy-hitter, Walt Disney Animation’s Sleeping Beauty from 1959. Though it was considered a critical and financial flop back in the day, we all loved this film, even
Hannah who had never seen it. (Boy was Cullen nervous about that.) Listen to us explore Sleeping Beauty stories from all over Europe, sarcastically congratulate Charles Perrault on his feminist takes, criticize Maleficent’s girlboss energy, and brainstorm what other gift Merryweather could have given Aurora instead of True Love’s Kiss (True Love’s High Five, anyone?)
Big thanks to our special guest, Cassie! You can check out her Princess-themed fashion Pinterest board.
Research for this episode:
Sleeping Beauty Stories
The Ballet Score
Zellandine in Perceforest
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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.
Saturday Apr 15, 2023
Saturday Apr 15, 2023
Don’t shut the wardrobe door as you join us in exploring the magical first installment of the Chronicles of Narnia franchise! We’re talking about the 2005 film “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.” And we’re in good hands with special guest Alina Phelan Ballou who was a major collaborator and stand-in for Mrs. Beaver! We discuss the smart adaptational choices made by the filmmakers, rave the quality of the 18-year-old CGI animals, and get lost in the wondrous world of Narnia.
Check out Alina on Instagram at @missalinagram, AND be sure to rewatch the battle scene to spot Alina as the Centaur shooting a flaming arrow that turns into a phoenix!
Research for this episode:
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
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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.
Saturday Apr 01, 2023
Saturday Apr 01, 2023
Episode 13: Pinocchio: A True Story (2021) (feat. Katie Weatherly and Aaron Buckley)
Happy April Fools!
No we didn’t talk about Guillermo or Walt’s Pinocchio, we talked about Pauly Shore’s! We take on fruity Pinocchio in a hot mess of an episode where we talk about unrealistic expectations of women, nonsense plots, daddy issues, and how little Cullen cares for the Pinocchio story. We also plug a Patreon that doesn’t exit. But should it?
Thank you Katie for watching the movie and proving Cullen wrong about Thumbelina and Aaron for not watching the movie or reading the email.
Research for this episode:
Cullen read Pinocchio in like 4th grade.
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Watch Us on YouTube!
Follow Our Adventures on Social Media:
@notmyfantasypod
Instagram
TikTok
Research & Writing by Cullen
This episode was edited by Hannah
Cover Art by William Callaghan
Intro Music "Not My Fantasy Quest" by Scott Little.
Thursday Mar 16, 2023
Thursday Mar 16, 2023
Episode 12: The Secret of Kells (2009) (feat. Maiko Greenleaf)
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! Hannah converts to Christianity in this episode that takes us on a journey from Irish MythologyxBible crossover fics to a Golden Age of Saints and Scholars to Colonialism to a beautiful unique film about the blending of Irish religion and culture. We explore a world of intricate art, faeries who deserve more screen time, and wide-eyed ginger scamps trying to save the Bible while their crossfit uncle tries to Build that Wall (for actually a good reason) Sorry not sorry to the Vikings.
Thank you listener and wood elf Maiko Greenleaf for joining us on this holiday adventure in the Emerald Isle. Follow her @maikogreenleaf for costuming fun!
Research for this episode:
How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill
The History Section of the Troy and Sterling Heights Public Library
Irish-American Heritage
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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 Cullen Callaghan.
Cover Art by William Callaghan.
Intro Music "Not My Fantasy Quest" by Scott Little.
Saturday Mar 04, 2023
Saturday Mar 04, 2023
Episode 11: The Beauty and the Beast (2017) (feat. Allyssa Swearingen)
This episode, we talk about the 2017 live-action remake of “Beauty and the Beast,” which is exactly the same as the 1991 animation but worse. We cringe at the movie answering all the thought experiments no one really wanted answers to, rate how sexy the bad-CGI beast is, and scream about how this movie was marketed as “more feminist” but is actually way less feminist. Plus, Cullen takes us on some adventures in Norway and Germany with animal bridegrooms and kidnapped, drugged husbands — some other iterations of the Beauty and the Beast story.
Check out Allyssa (IG: @a.m.swearingen) and her amazing art! If you want more Allyssa takes, check out our co-hosted podcast, Gleeboot (IG and TikTok: @gleebootpod)!
Research for this episode:
“East of the Sun and West of the Moon” by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe, translated by George Webbe Dasent and D. L. Ashliman
“The Singing, Springing Lark” by The Brothers Grimm
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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 "Not My Fantasy Quest" by Scott Little.
Not My Fantasy
BFFs Hannah and Cullen talk about fantasy and fairy tale films and the lore, myths and fairy stories that inspired them.