Tales From The Fandom

Joining me from Canada, Brent aka DorklordCanada, is someone I've known on Twitter through the tabletop roleplaying community for many years. Finally, we get together and have a wonderful conversation. We first kick off with a conversation about Babylon 5. Brent talks about how he first discovered the show and what kept him invested in it. We talk about the characters, the plot lines, the actors, and the now released animated movie. Then, we change to a new to the podcast fandom. Brent talks about The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. Brent tells us how he got into the series of novellas and why you should be checking out this series. Finally, Brent and I get into the tabletop roleplaying discussion. Brent tells a wonderful story about how he first got into TTRPG's through a small library, and the path that it took him. From Dungeons and Dragons to Call of Cthulhu, to actual play live streams, Solo RPG's, and so much more. Brent talks about the games he enjoys and what draws him to particular games now. We a

I love stumbling across people on Instagram. It's one of my favorite things. You never know who you're going to see and what you're going to love. When I saw Wynterr as Miles Morales, I knew I had to check out their work and lo and behold, I loved what cosplays they did! And now, Wynterr joins me to talk about some of their favorite fandoms. We're talking about a number of broad subjects and then getting into the nitty gritty. The first topic we cover is anime. Wynterr talks about how they got into anime, and some of their favorites, like Dragonball and YuYu Hakusho. From there, we go to the cousin of anime, Cartoon shows. We discover a shared love of Bob's Burgers (find out which characters they see themselves as) plus.... Spongebob Squarepants, which may be the first time I've talked about Spongebob on this podcast! When then go back.... to retro video games. Wynterr talks about which consoles they like, some of their favorites games, and we talk about Super Smash Brothers. Find out what their main is for t

Earlier this year, I had Glimmer on the podcast. They had suggest their partner, Shoopa, would be great to talk to. And now, here we are several months later! Shoopa joins me to talk about a number of new to the podcast fandoms, which always gets me excited. The first thing we talk about is Rhythm games. These include games like Dance Dance Revolution and Taiko no Tatsujin. Shoopa also talks about how he was/is a competitive DDR player (since the recording he's won a tournament), and the DDR scene in several places. Then we turn to Sega's mascot, Sonic. Shoopa talks about his love for the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. From the characters, to his favorite games, the music, and so much more.  Shoopa then talks about how he got into The Owl House. We talk about the show, the connection it has with him and Glimmer, the characters, and what the show meant to him. Then we wrap up with a conversation about Cosplay. Shoopa talks about how he got into cosplay, the characters he does, creating cosplay and the various p

Ali aka The Ali Way on social media joins me to talk about his life and love of fandoms in a deeply personal talk. We first start off with talking about the world of Disney and Pixar. Ali talks about some of his favorite movies and characters and what draws him to these two fandoms. Then, we hit up the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We talk about his connection with Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel, and we touch on a number of the MCU film and TV show properties. Interspersed through all of this is a deeply personal talk and reflection from Ali about his life and journey thus far. Then, we get into his love of dancing. From a young age, to what spurred his desire to dance and get involved in it. We also talk about how he started bounding. From the characters he does, how he chooses his outfits, gets ready, collaborates, and so much more. Honestly, words don't do justice to Ali's episode. You'll need to listen, because there is a sense of just pure joy and heart that comes through. You can find Ali at: https://www.instagr

After nearly 6 years, Briana returns to the podcast! You may know her better as UtahimeCosplay on some socials, or Briana on others. Either way, we get to catch up and chat more! We catch up from the last time we talked, plus how we saw each other in person for Holiday Matsuri in Orlando, Florida, a few years ago (hi to Briana's mom!).  Briana talks a bit about cosplay, as well as the transition from cosplayer to cosplay guest, to hosting various panels and experiences at various conventions. She talks about her path and journey to that side of the convention scene. Then, we talk about her latest venture! From originally starting out doing Twitch streams, to tabletop roleplaying game actual plays streamed on Twitch. We talk about her first experiences with TTRPG's, and the variety of games she's played, from D&D, to Cortex, to the 2d20 system from Modiphius, and so much more. We also talk about her role with The Initiative Order, a community of TTRPG streamers and creatives. You can find Briana at: https:

It's a first for the podcast. Yasmine aka Hijabi.in.a.Crown on Instagram joins me from Lebanon as we talk fandom! We start things off with her love of Disney. She talks about her favorite movies and shows, characters, and how she got into the Disney fandom in the first place. Then, Yasmine talks to me about Supernatural. She tells me how she discovered Supernatural, what drew her to this long running series, and we dive into those characters that she loves. We then bridge space and time as we talk about another long running series, Doctor Who. Yasmine talks to us about her favorite Doctor, some of her favorite episodes, and throws it back to seeing some of those original episodes before her time. Lastly, Yasmine talks about Disneybounding (or bounding when it's not Disney!) She talks about how she got into bounding, how she plans her bounds, looking for pieces that fit the character, and more. You can find Yasmine at:  https://www.instagram.com/hijabi.in.a.crown/ Get 10% off your order of Woodmarks, Tolkien s

It's been awhile since I had a duo join me for a podcast episode. I'm happy to report that having Brandon and Wren from My Dog Ate My Book Report podcast are wonderful and I hope you enjoy our conversation! All the topics we talk about are shared topics, and its interesting to hear their entry points into the fandom and their differing opinions at times! We start off with talking about one of the longest running fandoms around. Star Trek! We talk about their entry points into the franchise, their favorite characters and series, and Harry Kim. Yes, tune in to listen all about this character from Star Trek: Voyager. Then, we jump to another long running fandom, the Final Fantasy video game franchise. We talk about the different games, series, characters, and which ones they'd suggest a person new to the franchise should play first. Next, we're onto a new fandom for the podcast - Gunpla! Building Gundam models. It's new to me, but Brandon and Wren talk about how they got into it, the pricing and model structure,

The latest episode is here. Joining me for this episode is The Rebellious Dreamer. I knew I had to have her as a guest after stumbling across her incredible Kate Pryde cosplay on Instagram. We start things off by talking about Broadway shows. From some of her favorite shows, shows that she'd recommend to others now, and we reflect on some of those classic shows. Then we talk about the animated show, Infinity Train. A first for the podcast! We talk about what it is, why you should watch it, and how you may be able to find it. There's no spoilers, so you're safe to listen to this. From there, we delve into Tabletop Roleplaying Games, but specifically we talk about Vampire: The Masquerade. From how she got into the game, some of her favorite clans, and more. We wrap up with a conversation about Cosplay. We talk about how she got into it, some of her favorite cosplays and characters, and what she's got planned for the future. You can find her at: https://www.instagram.com/_the_rebelliousdreamer_/ Get 10% off your

You can make friends anywhere. I became friends with Oxi while in previous guest Mommadubz Twitch stream. We finally got to connect and now you get to hear from Oxi! We start off by talking about her love of video games. Oxi walks us through how she first got into gaming and some of her first games, including Call of Duty! We venture into her love affair with Apex Legends, as well as her new venture into Red Dead Redemption 2's roleplaying servers.  From video games, Oxi takes me into the world of true crime. She talks about getting into true crime from watching a YouTube channel where she listened to true crime stories while the YouTuber did makeup. We touch upon the Black Wallstreet Massacre, the Jon Benet case, and Unsolved Mysteries. Then we talk books. Oxi talks about just getting back into reading. She recommends a book called Piñata by Leopoldo Gout, talks about the kinds of books she likes, including books by author Anne Rice. Oxi also talks about her work in the healthcare field during the height of

With Better Call Saul having wrapped its final season and found its way to Netflix, I knew I needed to have Phil Rood back in the guest chair again to discuss the series. There are spoilers for Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad, and El Camino. Phil returns and we immediately dive into the last season of Better Call Saul. We talk about the final season, the characters story arcs, what worked, and what didn't, along with the multiple timelines that Better Call Saul dealt with. We discuss the series as a whole as well, and compare and contrast it to Breaking Bad. We discuss possible spin-offs (I came up with a great one, but it's not do-able), the order one should watch the two series, and then say goodbye to our favorite (and not so favorite) people in Albuquerque, New Mexico. You can find Phil at: https://twitter.com/philrood https://www.instagram.com/philrood75/ http://philrood.com/ You can listen to Phil's first episode here: https://talesfromthefandom.libsyn.com/episode-214-phil-rood-talks-breaking-bad-better

Award winning author and friend, Eden Royce, returns to the podcast! 2 years ago, we celebrated Eden's release of her first novel, Root Magic! Now Eden is back and talking about her second novel, Conjure Island, releasing June 27th! Eden talks to me about Conjure Island. From its inception, and what you can expect from the book, and how it differs from Root Magic. Then, we talk about Root Magic! Eden talks about how its been the past two years from its release. From the multiple printings, to it becoming a recognized and award winning book, and it being read all over the globe! Not only do we talk about these two books, but we also talk about her third book releasing sometime in 2024, The Creepening of Dogwood House, and her short story collection, Who Lost, I Found, releasing sometime in 2023. Plus we talk about the YA anthology, The Black Girl Survives In This One, also releasing in 2024. We also talk about Blackened Roots: An Anthology of the Undead, and Why Didn't You Just Leave, an anthology opening subm

After stumbling across Michelle's Instagram page and enjoying the heck out of her creativity with her stories and reels, I knew I had to ask her to be a guest. Michelle starts off with talking about Disney. Michelle talks about her favorite movies and characters, her park visits, and converting her husband into a Disney fan. Then we change gears to Marvel. From her first experience with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, characters, and movies that she enjoys. Combining her love of Disney and Marvel, Michelle collects and promotes Loungefly and similar style bags/backpacks. We talk about how she got into them, working with small businesses. Michelle also talks about the unique skater style dresses that work for bounding characters, plus cosplay. You can find Michelle at: https://www.instagram.com/nguyening_smiles/ https://www.facebook.com/nguyening.smiles/ https://www.tiktok.com/@nguyening_smiles https://www.youtube.com/@Nguyening_Smiles https://twitter.com/Nguyening_Smile https://linktr.ee/nguyening_smiles Get 1

After making a comment on Instagram essentially agreeing with President Snow from The Hunger Games, I knew I needed to have Kris come back to the podcast to talk about that. What I didn't know was that Kris has a disdain for the Dystopian genre! We talk about the biggest one, The Hunger Games, as well as others that released around the same time, including Divergent, The Maze Runner, and more. Kris talks about why she doesn't like the Dystopian genre, and we hit on topics like The Hunger Games & Divergent having a female lead, the Dystopian cycle, and more. If you're a fan of Dystopian works or if you're not, this episode is an eye (or ear) opening listen. You can find Kris at: https://www.instagram.com/cafe.contessa/ You can listen to her previous episodes here: https://talesfromthefandom.libsyn.com/final-fantasy-35th-anniversary-special  https://talesfromthefandom.libsyn.com/avatar-the-last-airbender-15th-anniversary-special https://talesfromthefandom.libsyn.com/episode-174-kris-lozano Get 10% of your

Seven Years. Seven years of wonderful conversations and great guests. Thank you for being a part of this. From the bottom of my heart. MJ returns to the podcast and we have a great conversation. One that I've declared to be a must listen episode of this podcast. We're talking about the podcast, cosplay, mental health, and so much more. Onward to another year! Take a listen, and be sure to go check out MJ's work at: https://www.instagram.com/sonocryo/ https://twitter.com/sonocryo https://fanhouse.app/sonocryo/fanwall?profile=true

Sean aka SeanJCosplay on Instagram joins me to talk about one of his favorite fandoms and his personal work. We kick things off by talking about Star Wars. With Star Wars Celebration having recently finished before our recording, we talk all the news to come out of Celebration. Plus, we also talk about what draws him to the Star Wars franchise. His favorite movies, characters, and more. Some of the things we've talked about have already come to pass, like Star Wars Visions season 2, since this was pre-recorded. From there, Sean talks about doing filmmaking. From his first start with filmmaking, to doing it with his family, what they've created, and what their plans are for the future. Then we wrap up with a conversation about Cosplay. We talk about how he got into cosplay, the friendships he's made, the cosplays he's done and what he's working on for the year. You can find Sean at: https://www.instagram.com/seanjcosplay/ https://www.tiktok.com/@seanjcosplay https://www.youtube.com/@JohnsonBrosFilms https://li

Sweet Christmas! David aka Caged Bishop Cosplay joins me to talk all about his favorite fandoms! We kick things off with Marvel. We're talking everything Marvel. Comics, TV shows, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. David talks about his favorite characters, why he connected to Marvel early on, and what he's looking forward to with the future of the MCU. From there, we flip flop over to DC. We talk about the comics, the TV shows, and the DC movies. David talks about his favorite character in the DC Universe, what he's enjoyed, and what he's looking forward to with the James Gunn reboot. Then we talk about the Power Rangers franchise. David talks about getting into the shows when the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series started. We talk about a number of the different shows and characters, plus talking about the comics. From there, we go to Transformers. From his entry via Gen 1 and the Transformers movie, to the toys, and comics.  Lastly, David talks about Cosplay and his Podcast, Perception Blerd. With cosplay

After nearly 7 years, we have a great deep dive into some fandoms that have been untouched. I was lucky enough to have CandyMon join me to talk about them! Candy first kicks things off with talking about Japanese Idol anime and games. We touch on big fandoms like Love Live, to shows like Hypnosis Mic, and Milgram. Candy also talks about the games and their loot box/gachapon style rewards. From outfits to characters, and the variety of games that are out there. Then we change gears and talk about the video game, Danganronpa. Candy talks about first discovering the game, what they like about it, some ties and influences to other media and games, and more. We wrap up with Candy talking about Cosplay. He talks about first getting into Cosplay, taking a break from it, and then getting back into it again. From some of their favorite cosplays, to what they're working on now, and their grail cosplay (which may surprise you!). You can find Candy at: https://www.instagram.com/_candy_mon_/ https://www.tiktok.com/@_candy

This episode is NSFW (18+). After stumbling across a few of Rey Cabato's stand up comedy bits on TikTok and Instagram, I knew I needed to ask him to join me. And he did! Rey joins me from California as we talk about his work and life in the world of photography and stand up comedy. BUT FIRST... We talk about Anime! Rey talks about his youth and getting into anime, and what kind of anime he still watches now. He's got a lot of deep cuts for recommendations, so while you listen, be sure to take good notes.  Then, we talk about photography. From how Rey got into photography, his work as a cosplay photographer, and his continued work in that space. Lastly, Rey talks about how he got into doing stand up comedy. Not just normal stand up, but stand up for the convention scene and some of the jokes he tells. He talks about how he workshops the jokes, his stand up comedy win at Anime Expo 2022, and more. If you like Rey's work, be sure to check out his socials below so you can laugh (and cry) at his work.  You can fin

Drew aka Drewbearded on Twitch returns yet again! This time, we're talking all about Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion. Who is Zack Fair? What's the deal with Sephiroth? Why are there one winged characters? Are they angels? Tifa dresses like a cowgirl? And there's Aerith! Drew talks to me about his love for this game. He recently completed the re-release on his Twitch channel, but speaks to his first time playing it on the PSP. We talk about the story, the characters, and working backwards from Final Fantasy VII to craft this prequel story. If you've never played this game, there are spoilers, of course. However, if you've played this game, this episode is something for you. Drew speaks with such passion and love for this game, and made me love a character (Zack) I never knew existed until a few months before he streamed the game. He made me love a relationship that I never knew of. I loved getting to talk about this game with Drew, and I hope you enjoy hearing this conversation! Want to watch or find Dr

Cammie aka Crash.Thunderpants on Instagram & TikTok joins me to talk about some of her favorite fandoms. Cammie kicks things off with Marvel. From her fist introduction to Marvel with the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon, to getting into the MCU and comics. We cover it all. We talk about her favorite Captains, the X-Men, and one of the projects she hopes to see come to life in the MCU. From Marvel, we flip things over to DC. Animated TV shows once again show the power they had to bring audiences in, as we reflect on Batman: The Animated Series. We also talk about her favorite character in the DC Universe, and we talk about the future of the DC movie franchise after the announcements of James Gunn & Peter Safran and their plans. We wrap it up nicely with Cosplay. Cammie talks about how she first got into Cosplay, and it is such a great story. She talks about the characters she cosplays, whether her Batgirl utility belt is functional, and what she has in the works for the future. You can follow Cammie at: ht