Holy crap! It's already the end of January! 2026 has felt both like 300 years and also the snap of the fingers at the same time. Just... how?

Anyway, I won't dwell too long on why it's been so rough, or why it's also rather light. Sometimes, in the darkest moments, some of the most beautiful things can come to light. Not that I'm putting my own stuff in that category, more what I look at or how people come together. Regardless of where you are in the world right now, I think being kind, being open, and showing love is always needed.

Anyway, let's talk about some silly things I did this month.

Substack Posts

• ​Jacob Grimm and the Wild Hunt - I started out January with a brief overview of some of the research I did at the end of last year on the Wild Hunt, mixed with some information and backgrounnd on Jacob Grimm.
• ​Video Games as Story, and So Much More Than Story - this particular post was inspired by some sample writing I did for a project which ended up not really going anywhere. In it, I talk about how video games funciton as story, but how we can look beyond this to see how it can be so much more than "just" a story (if such a thing exists).
• ​Rian Johnson and Agatha Christie - inspired by the new Benoit Blanc film Wake Up Dead Man, I wanted to spend a little bit of time talking about how Agatha Christie was used in that film, but also how Rian Johnson reflects Christie's approach to writing mysteries.
• ​The Exoticisation of Myth - That's right, it's Edward Said's Orientalism. This time, we're applying it to the use of myth in popular culture. Not to demonise people who do, but just to flag it, and think about it a little bit harder.

Video Essay

There's a lot of conversation about Adaptation, and the nature of what makes a "good" adaptation. Today, I want to talk about the nature of changing narratives. Adaptation to new media forms require an understanding of these forms, and a necessary alteration of the narratives to fit. Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein provides the perfect case study for us to chat about the nature of narrative transformation, and the question of what makes the most "faithful" adaptation.

Writing Vlogs

• ​Gothic Literature and Valkyries | Beginning 2026 Personal Curriculum - first vlog of the year was for a review of my personal curriculum, focused on Gothic Literature and Valkyries. There's also a link to the syllabi I created for those who want to follow along or just know a little more.
• ​A Day of Analysis and Curiousity | Taylor Swift and Mythology Nonfiction Day - I put the proposal to the side for now to do some actual research and analysis work. And... I don't know. There's curiousity, and things that are interesting, and not a lot of figuring out what it means. But that's just the process.
• ​A Cosy Personal Curriculum Night | Gothic Literature Study - this is a nice little Monday research night reading and learning about Gothic literature. Just my definition of a cosy night in.
• ​Playing Catchup | A Week in My Life | Writing Vlog - December Vivian did not do January Vivian any favours. I have to play catch up on Incidental Mythology work to not fall behind, so come and see me do it all!

I'm a Fan of That!

With the UK Traitors coming to a close, and the US Traitors coming to a full steam flow, we thought it time to do a little bonus episode all on the Traitors!

Also, in case you didn't know, we have a Patreon, where there are bonus episodes for you to listen to throughout our season break. This month, we have a Bracket Challenge, where 'Olly flipped the script on me and challenged me to come up with my favourite alltime fandom. We also do a little chat about what it feels like when the ideal idea of fandom as community doesn't quite work out that way.

And that's all for this month! As always, be kind to one another, and I'll be chatting to you soon!