Tales from the Fandom

An estimated $100.5 million dollar opening made Wonder Woman the highest box office movie directed by a woman. It's the highest rated DCEU movie, certified fresh by Rotten Tomatoes at 97% as of Thursday when it debuted. Returning guest, Victoria Avalor (episode 48), joins me to discuss all things Wonder Woman. There are spoilers as we discuss characters, the story, the cinematography and more. If you haven't seen the movie yet, go see it and then come back to this episode. For those who have, please enjoy our review! You can find Victoria at: Podcast episode 48: http://talesfromthefandom.libsyn.com/episode-48-victoria-avalor http://victoriacosplay.blogspot.com/ https://www.facebook.com/VictoriaAvalor/ https://www.instagram.com/victoria_avalor/ https://twitter.com/Victoria_Avalor Heroes Alliance can be found at: http://www.heroesalliance.org/

We find ourselves back in California and within walking distance of Disneyland with our guest Sara Katz-Scher, well known as ThatPrincessGirl on Instagram. Fandoms we cover include Disney, the TV series Lost and a book series by Tamora Pierce called The Lioness Quartet. We touch on getting kids into reading as well. Sara also talks about Disneybounding - what it is, how she does it and its popularity. There was a technical recording glitch and a portion of our conversation regarding Disney and the transition to talk about Lost was, well.. lost. My apologies to Sara and the listeners. You can find Sara at: http://www.instagram.com/thatprincessgirl

Star Wars debuted on May 25th, 1977. Now 40 years later it has become one of the longest, most enduring and influential fandoms in the world. Ellie & Zenger of the Zeng This podcast return to help me celebrate all that is Star Wars. We talk about how we first got into the Star Wars fandom. We talk characters, aliens, stories, movies, games, books, the purchase by Disney, the newest movies and more. Come with us to a galaxy far, far away and listen to us talk about the fandom from our certain points of view. Special thanks to OverEnglishMan on YouTube for the intro music. You can find him at: https://www.youtube.com/overenglishman Full Video music video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pORNNBE4YVE You can find Ellie and Zenger at: https://soundcloud.com/zengthis https://www.facebook.com/zengthis/ https://twitter.com/ZengThis https://www.instagram.com/zengthispodcast/

CW: Talk about mental health, bipolar disorder, suicide and cutting. Author/Artist Lex Chase joins me from Pensacola, Florida. Lex and I go back to my days at the University of West Florida when he worked in my Friendly Local Comic Shop. We talk about the fandoms he is into including Lost, Hannibal & The Path. We then talk about his time as an art student, transitioning to becoming an award winning author as well as talking about his mental health blog. Note - there is discussion about mental health, bipolar disorder, suicide and cutting. You can find Lex at: https://theglassworx.org https://etsy.com/shop/theglassworxart https://twitter.com/atalldrink

Award Winning Illustrator Maki Naro joins us from New York City for Episode 56. Maki's work has been featured on The Nib & Popular Science. He draws the webcomic Sufficiently Remarkable and he was one of the finalists in Penny Arcade's Strip Search webseries. We talk about how he got into art and his science based comics. We talk at length about the Penny Arcade Strip Search webseries, his time at Popular Science and what fandoms he is into. You can find Maki at: makinaro.com patreon.com/maki http://sufficientlyremarkable.com/ http://www.boxplotcomic.com/ https://twitter.com/sciencecomic You can find Penny Arcade's Strip Search webseries at: https://www.penny-arcade.com/strip-search/archive

Emma Lettera, based in Central Florida, is the first artist to appear on Tales from the Fandom. Otherwise known as Discombobble online, she produces fanart of all kinds as well as her own original art and is now hitting the convention scene. On this episode, we talk about Hayao Miyazaki & Studio Ghibli movies, Harry Potter, & HBO's Westworld. We also talk about how long she's been drawing, her artwork and fan art and the variety of mediums she uses. You can find Emma at: http://EmmaLettera.com http://discombobble.tumblr.com/ https://www.facebook.com/discombobbleart https://www.instagram.com/discombobble/

Zeng This! Podcast hosts Ellie and Zenger join Tales from the Fandom for Episode 54. After discovering the Zeng This! podcast and loving it, I was able to have Ellie and Zenger join me to talk about a number of fandoms including what originally pulled them into fandoms at a young age. We also talked about the DC and Marvel Cinematic Universes and then their enjoyment for the Mass Effect videogame series. After those two topics, we talked about their podcast and a few of their different episodes like their Star Wars re-watch, the Read This/Watch This segments and more. You can find Ellie and Zenger at: https://soundcloud.com/zengthis https://www.facebook.com/zengthis/ https://twitter.com/ZengThis https://www.instagram.com/zengthispodcast/

With a little bit of extra space, I had enough time to answer some listener questions. Listen to questions from @Joezilla, Clara of @MtMoonCosplay, Sadie of @Sadiebydesign, Analeigh of @Analeighcosplay, Rebecca Parker and the co-hosts of @ZengThisPodcast.

Clara joins us from Central Florida to discuss a variety of her fandoms. We talk about how she first got into roleplaying and the different roleplaying games she is into. We discuss games such as Numenera, Pathfinder, Shadowrun, Vampire: The Masquerade and more. Clara and I then talk about Avatar: The Last Airbender and the Legend of Korra cartoons. We wrap up with a talk about cosplay. You can find Clara at: https://www.facebook.com/MtMoonCosplay/ https://www.instagram.com/mtmooncosplay/

Star Wars Celebration 2017 was held in Orlando, Florida for four days. Each day had big news coming from it, whether it pertained to the 40th Anniversary celebration, The Last Jedi, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars Battlefront 2 and more. I review the convention, talk about what I heard and saw and my experience. You can find the pictures at http://www.facebook.com/talesfromthefandom or on my Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/dginsb1213/

We remain in Texas for Episode 52 as we have Ali aka Pocket Sized Cosplay join us. Ali and I stay mostly in the realm of anime for this episode. We cover Love Hina, Sailor Moon, Card Captor Sakura and King of Bandits along with a few other anime titles. We also talk about how she got into Cosplay and more. You can find Ali at: http://www.facebook.com/pocketsizedcosplay https://www.instagram.com/pocketcos

Project 13 Dark is a Kickstarter that aims to be "a unique project that will showcase both the written and visual artwork of some of this century's greatest creatives." To talk about the project, discuss what it is and what you can get out of it, I am joined by previous guest and one of the authors for Project 13 Dark, Eden Royce (Episode 2). You can find the Kickstarter at: Project 13 Dark Kickstarter You can follow the Project 13 Dark social media at: https://twitter.com/Project13Dark https://www.facebook.com/project13dark/

Recorded in January, we return to Texas to talk with Cosmic Coterie member Koholint. Koholint talks to us about two of her favorite anime/manga's, Mob Psycho 100 and One Punch Man. We also talk about the Final Fantasy game series, focusing on FF2 and FF4. She recommends Tiger & Bunny and we talk a little about Attack on Titan before discussing Cosplay and her involvement with the Cosmic Coterie cosplay group. You can find Koholint at: https://www.instagram.com/koholint_cosplay/ https://www.facebook.com/KoholintCosplay https://twitter.com/koholintcosplay You can find the Cosmic Coterie at: http://www.cosmiccoterie.com https://www.instagram.com/cosmiccoterie/ https://www.facebook.com/CosmicCoterie/ https://twitter.com/CosmicCoterie

Kerry Holland joins us from England to talk about a number of different fandoms. We talk about Harley Quinn, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter as well as the Fantastic Beasts series, Retro Gaming (specifically Sam and Max and the Monkey Island franchise). Kerry also talks to us about cosplay and being a cosplayer in England. You can find Kerry at: https://www.facebook.com/kerraldinehq/ https://www.instagram.com/hufflepufftheslayer/ https://twitter.com/daphneblake

Tali rejoins us from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, to review and discuss Wrestlemania 33, happening on Sunday, April 2nd here in Orlando, Florida. We cover the matches and story lines from draft split and Summer Slam when we recorded Tali's original episode (Ep. 13) to what we have ended up with for Wrestlemania. All announced matches are covered from the pre-show to the main program. We talk likes, dislikes, picks, and what our hopes and dreams are for some members of the main roster. Take a listen and then tune in on the WWE Network for 6+ hours of sports entertainment. You can find Tali at: http://www.talixoxo.com/ https://www.facebook.com/talicosplay/ https://twitter.com/supertaunt https://www.instagram.com/supertaunt/

Recorded in November, we go to Alberta, Canada and talk with Analeigh of Analeigh Cosplay. We cover a variety of different fandoms. We first start out with a more recent fandom that has become popular, the Outlander series. Analeigh talks about whether she was a book or TV fan first. We talk about the plot, the characters and whether it can be described as "Game of Thrones for Women." From there, we head to the magical world of Harry Potter. Analeigh talks about how she got into Harry Potter, her favorite characters, a possible controversial discussion about a favorite couple and more. Disney is next and we talk about Analeigh's favorite Disney movies and characters and at what age she started getting into the Disney fandom. Analeigh talks about her cosplay, conventions and more before we change gears to talk about where cosplay intersected with fandom in the form of the recent Ghostbusters movie. We talk about the movie, its characters, the story and the controversy as well as which original Ghostbuster she got to touch. You can find Analeigh at: https://www.facebook.com/Analeighcosplay/ https://twitter.com/AnaleighCosplay https://www.instagram.com/ana.leigh/

SPOILER WARNING - Sadie Geerligs returns to Tales from the Fandom to discuss Disney's latest venture of transforming their animated movies into live action with Beauty and the Beast. Sadie and I discuss the entire movie as well as hit on some of the main conversation pieces that have been making the rounds on the internet. This includes a discussion about the yellow ballgown, Emma Watson's singing voice and acting and the prominent announcement of having a gay character and what that entailed in the scope of the movie and more. We also discuss major and minor changes from animated movie to Broadway play to this live action version We also talk about the upcoming live action Disney movies in various states of pre-production, what animated movies we'd like to see and more. And with Belle being an inventor in this movie, Sadie talks about how she was immortalized in a Marvel comic. You can find Sadie at: http://www.sadiebydesign.com/ https://www.facebook.com/sadiebydesign/ https://twitter.com/sadiebydesign https://www.instagram.com/sadiebydesign/ https://www.youtube.com/sadiebydesign

Victoria Avalor joins us from Philadelphia, PA for Episode 48. Victoria is a cosplayer, charity worker, blogger, professional princess and coordinator for the Eastern Pennsylvania branch of Heroes Alliance. Recorded in late October (before Fantastic Beasts came out), Victoria and I covered a number of different fandoms. First, we explored her connection with DC Comics. How she got into the DC side of life, her favorite characters, the DC Superhero girl dolls and of course, the upcoming Wonder Woman movie. Next, we talk Harry Potter. We talk the books, her favorite character, Hermione and Ron as well as the Chestnut Hill Harry Potter Festival that happened last year. From there, we switch over to doll collecting and dolls such as the Monster High series, Ever After High, and DC Superhero Girls and the marketing of product for female characters. We talk Cosplay next. How Victoria got into it, her experiences with it, princess parties and being a coordinator with Heroes Alliance. And before we wrap up, we talk about something that caught my attention - MTV's Catfish TV series and Victoria tells a story about how someone once used her pictures and pretended to be her back in the MySpace days. You can find Victoria at: https://www.facebook.com/VictoriaAvalor/ https://www.instagram.com/victoria_avalor/ https://twitter.com/Victoria_Avalor Heroes Alliance can be found at: http://www.heroesalliance.org/

Mayanna Berrin, formerly of the ThinkGeek store in Orlando, FL and now residing in California, joins us for Episode 47. We start off with a quick discussion about ThinkGeek and the ThinkGeek stores before moving onto one of Mayanna's favorite fandoms. Steven Universe. She discusses the plot, art style, characters, episodes and of course, fandom drama. It is definitely an eye opener to hear about this show and everything it encompasses. From there, we talk about the Legend of Zelda franchise. Find out which games she's beat, which game is her favorite and why she just loves the franchise. She recommends people watch the 90's anime Revolutionary Girl Utena and play the 3DS game Fire Emblem: Awakening or Fire Emblem: Fates for a good tactical game with a great story. You can find Mayanna at: https://www.instagram.com/mayannaberrin/

Buffy the Vampire Slayer turns 20 years old today and returning guest Barbie Wi joins me to discuss all things BtVS related. We talk about how each of us got into the series, the characters, our favorite episodes and seasons and more. We talk about Buffy's relationships. We spin off into a couple of side topics including Joss Whedon's other projects, the Whedonverse as a whole, the rumored spin-offs that never happened and what Buffy has meant over the past twenty years and where it will exist in the fandom world in the next twenty years. You can find Barbie at: https://www.facebook.com/AsgardBarbie/ https://www.instagram.com/asgardbarbie/ http://www.barbiewi.com/ https://twitter.com/asgardbarbie Opening Buffy cover music by: Last Man Alive on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyvJYql6SO8

We stay in the state of Florida with Tasha Wolfe with Episode 46. A gamer and cosplayer, we talk with Tasha about a number of topics. Recorded in October, we start off with what game system Tasha first started playing and those early formative games before becoming a Nintendo Fangirl. We cover games such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario, the Tomb Raider series with Lara Croft as well as the Bioshock series. We then jump over and talk about some of the Tim Burton movies that we love and how some people don't even know them (and how they should!) Tasha then talks about how she got into cosplay, her adventures and misadventures with crafting, the cosplays she's planning for cons and her burlesque dancing as well as her interactions on social media. You can find Tasha at: https://www.instagram.com/wolfexoxo__/ https://twitter.com/wolfexoxo__ https://www.twitch.tv/tashawolfexo

Omni Fandom Expo is in its 4th year and is billed as "The biggest little con you'll attend this year." I was able to go courtesy of a press pass and talk with several cosplayers and artists at this years convention. Please be sure to check out the Tales from the Fandom Facebook page to check out the artists, cosplayers and their work. The guests are in the following order: Serena, a first time cosplayer who was dressed as Lafayette from Hamilton. Jason, Brett and Kaiden, cosplayers who were dressed as characters from Fantastic Beasts. Miss Taurus Cosplay who was dressed as a Steampunk Poison Ivy. You can find her at: https://www.instagram.com/misstaurus.cosplay/ https://www.facebook.com/misstauruscosplay The artist known as No Flutter. You can find her work at: https://www.instagram.com/noflutter/ https://www.facebook.com/NoFlutter/ noflutter.deviantart.com http:///www.noflutter.com Lisa Villella, an artist who made an incredible deck of Harry Potter cards with very unique designs, as well as an Avatar themed deck of cards. Her artwork is amazing. You can find her at: https://www.instagram.com/lisaveeee/ https://www.etsy.com/shop/lisaveeee Cosplay guest Aly Chu You can find her at: https://www.instagram.com/alychuuu/ https://www.facebook.com/AlyChuCosplay/ And our last guests were artists Katie Knudson and Angi Tsai. Katie can be found at: http://loquaciousliterature.tumblr.com/ https://society6.com/loquaciousliterature https://twitter.com/LoquaciousLit Angi can be found at: https://www.instagram.com/angi.tsai/ twitter.com/angitsai http://angitsai.tumblr.com/

We're back in Texas with Terry Thomas of Tabletop Plus for Episode 45 of Tales from the Fandom. After finding Terry and his company on Instagram and liking what I saw, I reached out to him and we connected back in October. If you are into roleplaying games or board games, this podcast is definitely geared to you. We first talk about roleplaying games, hitting on games such as Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder, Star Frontiers, Diplomacy and a game called Tephra, a steampunk rpg. We also hit on Savage Worlds and the Star Wars RPG by Fantasy Flight. We also talk about getting kids into RPG's early and how it definitely changes the dynamic of the game. We move from books and dice to board games next, and not in the traditional sense as we hit on games such as Settlers of Catan, Arkham Horror, Bloodbowl and more. We talk about their rise to prominence from the late 90's to present day. From there, Terry talks to me about being on the other side of the industry with his company, Tabletop Plus. He talks about getting into the gaming business with the tabletop gaming enhancements that he does. Terry talks about his product, costs associated with it and the benefits that it adds to a game. You can find Terry and Tabletop Plus at: http://tabletopplus.com/ https://www.etsy.com/shop/TabletopPlus https://www.facebook.com/tabletopplus/ https://www.instagram.com/tabletopplus/ https://twitter.com/tabletopplus You can find more information about Tephra: The Steampunk RPG at: http://tephrarpg.com/

We go back to England with Episode 44 and have Dania aka Hijabi Hoo to talk to us about her favorite fandoms as well as being a Hijabi Cosplayer. We dive in first with Supernatural, one of the longest running fandom shows out there. We discuss how she got into it, favorite characters, favorite seasons and more. From there, Dania walks me through the Assassin's Creed video game series. We talk about which game she loves the most, her favorite assassin and more. We jump from video games to a book series next while we talk about The Lorien Legacies. Dania says she enjoyed the movie "I Am Number 4" which is based on the first book in the series. She tells me who her favorite alien is and which book is her favorite. Marvel is our next fandom stop as we discuss a shared favorite character as well as who else she enjoys. Cosplay is the last topic we cover and Dania walks me through how she chooses cosplays and how she works on incorporating her hijab into her various cosplays. We talk about the cosplay community, the article written about her by the io9 blog and more. You can find Dania at: https://www.facebook.com/HijabiHoo/ https://www.instagram.com/hijabihoo/ https://beacons.ai/hijabihoo https://www.twitch.tv/hijabihoo http://io9.gizmodo.com/this-is-our-new-favorite-captain-america-cosplay-ever-1784778834

Recorded in early October, Lena aka Saddle the Hippogriffs Cosplay, joins us from California to talk about a number of fandoms in Episode 43. We start off with one of the more recent and large fandoms around, Game of Thrones. We talk about the books, the movies, characters and more. Lena then talks to us about author Tamora Pierce and the Song of the Lioness series of books. She discusses the characters, plot and more. We also talk about the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas. We talk about a new fandom Lena has started to dip her toes into, the world of comics. We talk about what comics she's reading, why she decided to take the leap and other comic related conversation. The Librarians TV show is the next fandom we talk about. We discuss how she first got into the series by way of the movie, why she likes the show and more. We wrap up with Cosplay. You'll find out how long Lena's been sewing, her projects she's completed, what's next and more. You can find Lena at: https://www.facebook.com/saddlethehippogriffs/ https://www.instagram.com/saddlethehippogriffs/

Katrina Tecxidor joins us for Episode 42. Another resident of Central Florida, Katrina talks to us about her love of everything DC Comics, focusing on Batman: The Animated Series, Batgirl, the DC TV Shows, and the Batman Telltale game that just came out. We also talk about two big fandoms - Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. Katrina also talks to us about how and why she got into cosplay. She also talks to us about her online fitness business, Fan Fit Go, where she sends personalized workout plans and meal plans to get us into "Cape Shape". You can find Katrina at: https://www.instagram.com/geekunique_cosplay/ https://www.facebook.com/GeekUniqueCosplay/ You can find Fan Fit Go at: https://www.instagram.com/fanfitgo_katrina/ https://www.facebook.com/FanFitGo/ http://www.fanfitgo.com

Jim Ryan, friend of the show and currently residing in Charlotte, NC joins Tales from the Fandom for its 41st episode. Jim and I met while joining a new Dungeons and Dragons game held in a church conference room and ever since then, things have never been the same. We jump in head first with a conversation about the Sci-Fi comedy series Red Dwarf. I had heard about it when I was younger but never knew anything about the series. That is until this day! After Red Dwarf, we shift genres to westerns and the HBO series Deadwood. Jim gives a great overview on the series and characters while we reminisce about Westerns and the lost Pirate genres of our youth. Roleplaying games take the next portion of the episode, where Jim talks about how he got into RPG's and some of his favorite games like Amber diceless, Deadlands and Fiasco. Jim then talks about his writing and podcasts and where you can follow his work. You can find Jim at: https://jimyesthatjim.com/ https://twitter.com/otherdoc Jim's Book of Monologues can be found at: http://mainstreetragbookstore.com/?product=abduction-etiquette

Episode 40 brings us back to California with Carleigh aka Uneekchic. Recorded in late September, Carleigh has been a cosplayer since 2009 and we cover some fandoms untouched in the past 39 episodes. We first talk about the anime Naruto. We talk how we each got into the series, the characters and storylines that we love and enjoy and how it has transitioned from Naruto to his children in the latest adventures. Next, Carleigh introduces us to an author named Brandon Sanderson and his fantasy trilogy called Mistborn (released in 2006). It's epic fantasy meets political intrigue and Carleigh walks us through why we should read this book series. We veer off course for a discussion about The Hunger Games during our discussion about the Mistborn trilogy and talk about which books we liked in that trilogy as well as talking about Katniss and her character that evolved over the three books. Carleigh then talks to me about animated show RWBY. We talk about why she enjoys the series, what drew her to it, her favorite character and more. We talk about how Carleigh got into cosplay and how she's evolved since 2009, as well as we talk about the cosplay scene and some of the more ridiculous or gross messages she gets on social media. You can find Carleigh at: https://www.facebook.com/Carleigh-Skrammy-Uneekchic-670538599693887 http://www.instagram.com/uneekchic

Episode 39 finds us with Central Florida resident Ana who loves a variety of fandoms and is a relative newcomer to the cosplay world. Recorded in early September, Ana and I jump straight in with her first fandom - Harry Potter. She reveals how she got into the fandom as well as her house, favorite characters, favorite book and who she thinks is an underrated character. From one fandom from across the pond to another, we jump into the Tardis and talk Dr. Who. We talk about her favorite companion, favorite doctor, how she got into that fandom and more. Next up is Twilight, a first for this podcast. Ana runs me through the Twilight fandom as well as The Mortal Instruments fandom. We talk characters, books/movies and more. We wrap up with cosplay and how she got into cosplay to begin with. We talk about Race and Cosplay and the cosplay community. Ana discusses how she chooses her cosplays and some that she would like to do in the future. You can find Ana at: https://www.facebook.com/AnaKCosplay/ https://www.instagram.com/albeit_ana/

Girl Meets Series Finale, as Girl Meets World has been cancelled by Disney and ends with the series finale airing today (1/20/17). Longtime friend Brady joins me to discuss how two middle aged men got into Girl Meets World and our opinions on the three seasons we got. We compare and contrast it with Boy Meets World and talk about the characters, stories and more that made Girl Meets World. Three seasons and we want more. If you'd like to support the Girl Meets World community and see the steps being taken to try and get Netflix or Hulu to pick it up, please check out the following: https://www.facebook.com/BMWSequel/ http://savegirlmeetsworld.com/ You can find Brady via his work with The Syndicate at: http://www.thesyndicatestudio.com/

Jonathan Wavell from California joins us while overseas to record Episode 38 of Tales from the Fandom. Recommended by Andie Jay from Episode 5, I recorded with Jonathan in mid August when our schedules matched up. We first talk about Star Wars. Back when Han shot first and there were no special editions. We talk lightsaber color, Disney taking over the franchise, characters and more. After that, Jonathan, who is known for his Captain America and Agent Coulson cosplays, talk about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The current movies out, which ones we loved, how Iron Man started it all and the upcoming slate of movies and what we hope to see. The video game franchise Halo is next. Jonathan talks about how the Halo games have evolved, what draws him to that series specifically and more. We finish with a conversation about cosplay. Find out why Jonathan got into cosplay and how it has evolved to another level. He offers suggestions about how to get into it if you're interested and what he does to bring that next level of authenticity to his cosplays. You can find Jonathan at: https://www.instagram.com/jwave001/ https://www.facebook.com/Jwave

Sapphire Nova joins us for Episode 37 of Tales from the Fandom. This podcast was recorded back in August, so you may hear us talking about subjects that had just come out or hadn't come out quite yet. Sapphire talks about how she first discovered fandom and how she got into her first fandom - Lord of the Rings, which was one of my first fandoms as well. We talk about characters, the movies and the books before talking about The Hobbit and the trilogy of movies that followed that story. After the epicness of Lord of the Rings, we talk Disney movies before diving into the other series that Sapphire grew up with - Harry Potter. We talk houses, characters, the books, the movies and more. We then talk about transitioning from dressing up for movie releases into cosplay and the business she and her husband started, Superheroes Unlimited. You can find Sapphire Nova at: https://www.facebook.com/SapphireNovaCosplay/ https://www.instagram.com/sapphirenovashu/ Superheroes Unlimited at https://www.superheroesunlimited.com

Victoria aka Vicky-Vic from Brisbane, Australia is our guest for Episode 36, and the first episode of 2017. Victoria is a Registered Nurse as well as a gamer, cosplayer and more. Recorded back in August, Vicky and I cover a number of fandoms. We talk about Final Fantasy before delving into how she's just now getting into Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Supernatural. We then jump to Firefly before talking about The Rangers Apprentice book series by John Flanagan before she talks about how she got into costuming and cosplay.

I am joined by Stephanie aka Jedi Moon from California to wrap up the last of the 2016 episodes. Stephanie and I cover a variety of fandoms. We first start off with Star Trek and its early influences on Stephanie. Find out who her favorite Captain is, along with the shows she enjoys. We then bounce to the other famous Star series - Star Wars. Favorite movies and characters and what's coming up (recorded before Rogue One came out). As well as how she got the name Jedi Moon. Which transitions into talking about the Sailor Moon series. We have a big discussion about Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit series and their influences on our childhood. Stephanie talks about how she got into cosplay, her variety of costumes and more. She also recommends a book series called the Borderland Series, created by Terri Windling. You can find Stephanie at: https://www.facebook.com/Jedimoon/ https://www.facebook.com/triforce.babes/ https://www.instagram.com/jedi.moon/

Jessi Rizer, a current law student and cosplayer joins me for Episode 34. Jessi and I dig into Disney, talking about The Little Mermaid before giving love to Esmeralda and Megara. We also talk about the TV series Once Upon A Time as well as how she got into doing princess parties and being a cosplayer. You may have seen Jessi already, as she was part of an awesome YouTube video of Aladdin riding a magic carpet through the streets of San Francisco earlier this year. You can find that YouTube video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qUJHAS7I5Y You can find Jessi at: https://www.facebook.com/jessirizer https://www.instagram.com/jessirizer/

SPOILERS AHEAD I'm joined by lifelong Star Wars fan Jeanna Hicks to talk about Star Wars: Rogue One, the first standalone movie under the Disney umbrella. Jeanna runs me through her history as a Star Wars fan going back to the first release back in 1977. We run through the original trilogy, prequels and The Force Awakens before diving headlong into Rogue One. We talk cast and the characters, plot, the little nods and shout outs in the movie, what we loved and what we wanted more of. We also talk about what's to come in the future.

Matt Forbeck, New York Times bestselling author and the man behind the Star Wars: Rogue One Junior Novelization joins us for Episode 33. Matt delves into his early introduction with roleplaying games such as Dungeons and Dragons before we get into the various projects he has done. We talk about his Eberron novels (a Dungeons and Dragons setting) as well as Shotguns and Sorcery, a novel series that is now being turned into a tabletop roleplaying game. We talk about his involvement as being an author in a number of different fandoms, such as Leverage, Guild Wars and Halo, along with getting to write some of the encyclopedias for Marvel! He talks about his other latest book, Dungeonology before we discuss the Star Wars universe, the Rogue One Junior novelization and the differences, as well as his favorite characters! You can find Matt at: http://www.forbeck.com/ https://www.facebook.com/forbeck https://twitter.com/mforbeck

Chelsea Doyle makes her fourth appearance as a guest on Tales from the Fandom to discuss the Final Fantasy video game series. If you are a fan of the series, this is a must listen episode! Turning 30 next year, the game series just released Final Fantasy 15. Chelsea and I talk about the game series as a whole and what makes Final Fantasy important. We fondly remember the touchstones in the games we love, the characters, the music and the stories. We try and touch upon all the games (minus the MMO's) before delving into Final Fantasy 15. What Chelsea thinks works and what doesn't work and if it should even be called a Final Fantasy game. You can find Chelsea at: https://medianerdalert.wordpress.com/

The Lost Episode #1 with Jacqulyn Miller. Due to computer problems, a few shows were unretrievable on my hard drive until I found them on my cloud. This is the first of those episodes. Jacqulyn Miller joins me from Louisiana to talk about a variety of fandoms. We talk first about Sailor Moon and how she got into the fandom. We also delved into how she got into cosplay and talk about Pokemon (the show and the video games). She educates me about Love Live and then we revisit old 90's anime since she is going back and re-watching some of the classics. You can find Jacqulyn at: http://www.instagram.com/muchhotness.cosplay https://www.facebook.com/MuchHotness-Cosplay-688409077907302/

Recorded in early August, Raven of Raven Star Cosplay joins me from the Netherlands to talk about a variety of fandoms for Episode 32. We start out talking exclusively about video games. We cover games such as Final Fantasy X, Dragon Age, The Witcher series, Bloodborne and Bayonetta. We also talk about Raven's work in the video game industry and what she does and games she has worked on. We briefly talk about the Netflix series Sense8 before moving onto a discussion about Cosplay. We talk about how she got into it as a hobby, characters she does and being featured on Kotaku for one particular cosplay. Raven and I have a discussion about girls and gaming, as well as cosplay and the cosplay community and the current push for cosplay inclusion across race, gender and more. You can find Raven at: https://www.instagram.com/ravenstarcosplay/ https://twitter.com/NorthernStar87 https://www.twitch.tv/ravenstarcosplay

Nikki joins us from Texas for Episode 31 of Tales from the Fandom, recorded in August. We jump right into Nikki's largest fandom, Sailor Moon. We talk about who she likes, who she doesn't, how long she's been in the fandom and if she's a sub or dub fan. Disney is our next fandom we cover and we talk a variety of movies, who she drags along with her and more. After that, we discuss how she got into the Dead or Alive videogame franchise. Who she plays, who she likes and more. We then talk Cosplay. How Nikki first got involved in cosplay and how it evolved over time, as well as talking about who and how she picks her cosplays and the cosplay community of Texas. You can find Nikki at: https://www.instagram.com/darlingnikkicosplay/ https://linktr.ee/darlingnikkicosplay

Kittie of Kittie Cosplay joins me from California for Episode 30 of Tales from the Fandom. Recorded back at the beginning of August, Kittie and I tackle a number of fandoms. We start with her original fandom of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and talk about the original show that started it all, as well as delving into the new movie coming out. She also talks about the troubles of finding an all yellow wardrobe! We bounce over to X-Men: The Animated Series as well as the rebooted X-Men film series before talking about Olivia Munn and how she inspired Kittie. Star Wars is up next and we talk original trilogy, prequels, the new movies as well as Star Wars Rebels. After that, we talk the original Ghostbusters as well as the new, female-led Ghostbusters movie. Kittie then talks about cosplay, how she got into cosplay, the volunteer groups she is a member of and more. You can find Kittie at: https://www.instagram.com/kittiecosplay/ https://www.facebook.com/KittieCosplay/ https://twitter.com/kittiecosplay You can also find her volunteer groups: http://mandalorianmercs.org/ http://rebellegion.com/ https://www.facebook.com/TheBayAreaGhostbusters/

Jesse and Laura comprise the duo known as JessoLaurus Rex, and they join me for Episode 29, recorded in the first week of August. Jesse and Laura cover a wide range of fandoms. We talk about Mass Effect, Star Trek, Gargoyles, Joss Whedon shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly, Final Fantasy, JRPGs and Western RPG's including The Witcher, cosplay and Harry Potter. Just to name a few. I laughed so much during this episode with Jesse and Laura. They've got some great stories to tell. You can find them at: https://www.facebook.com/JessoLaurusRex/ https://www.instagram.com/jessolaurusrex/ https://twitter.com/JessoLaurus https://twitter.com/JesseJerdak

SPOILER WARNING! Previous guest S. Brady Calhoun (episode 14) rejoins Tales from the Fandom for a review of the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, Dr. Strange. Brady and I discuss our general knowledge of comicverse Dr. Strange before going into an in-depth discussion about the movie. We talk characters, plot, effects and more. As well as what worked and what didn't. We touch on a number of other MCU properties including Ant-Man, Thor, Iron Man and more. We talk about the upcoming appearances of Dr. Strange as well as what we'd like to see in a sequel and what other properties we would love to see on the big screen.

Sara Moni is the second guest from the Phoenix, Arizona area to join Tales from the Fandom for its 28th episode. Sara and I start off discussing the X-Men. How she related to them and how she got into the X-Men franchise. We talk about her favorite characters and if she was charged with making an X-Team, who her choices would be. After that, we discuss the comic book series called Saga by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples. We talk about what the comic is about, how and why she is drawn to it and more. We wrap up with talking about cosplay. Sara tells us how and why she got into it, her favorite costumes and how she is a member of the Arizona Avengers. You can find Sara at: https://www.instagram.com/saramonicosplay/ https://www.facebook.com/SaraMonicosplay https://twitter.com/KrayolaKid

Jachelle Overstreet and Chelsea Doyle return to Tales from the Fandom to talk all about the new Ghostbusters movie, now out on DVD. Jachelle (Episode 1) and Chelsea (Episode 6) talk a little about the original Ghostbusters movie from over 30 years ago before we launch into the discussion about this newest iteration. We talk story, characters, what worked and what didn't as well as what we'd like to see if a sequel gets made. We talk about how the announcement of an all female cast broke the internet, and the facts about the movie - how much money it made, the generally positive reviews and more. We also sidetrack and talk about movies that are focusing on strong female roles as well as remakes with an all female cast (ie: Oceans Eight). You can find Jachelle and Chelsea at: https://medianerdalert.wordpress.com/

J. Appletini joins us as yet another guest from Vancouver, Canada for Tales from the Fandom's 27th episode. We talk about how she first got into fandom before talking about two of her biggest fandom loves: Star Trek and Star Wars. We cover a wide range of topics including favorite characters, shows, movies and more. We talk about the upcoming new Star Trek show Discovery, along with Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the upcoming Rogue One. We then discuss her toy collecting. What she collects, how much room she devotes to it and more. She tosses out a few comic book suggestions that aren't DC or Marvel before we talk about how she got into Cosplay. She talks about her first experiences with it, her favorite and most well known costumes and more. You can find J. Appletini at: https://www.facebook.com/j.appletini/ https://www.instagram.com/j.appletini/

Rebecca Parker joins us for Part 2 of her podcast episode. Rebecca is a long time friend of the show and in Part 1, we discussed her love of JJ Abrams and the Abramsverse. Part 2 is all about Joss Whedon and the Whedonverse. We cover the big four: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly and Dollhouse. We also talk about Much Ado About Nothing, Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog, Cabin in the Woods and The Avengers. Rebecca also ends with non-Whedonverse topic, giving us shows that she loves that she would love people to watch.

Long time friend of the show, Rebecca Parker, joins us from New York for Episode 26 of Tales from the Fandom. We first start off talking about the accessibility of fandoms and how it has changed over the years since the internet has taken shape. From Prodigy and AOL to Livejournal and Myspace to Twitter, Facebook and more. While Rebecca has hundreds of fandoms she's into, we decided to split up our discussion to two main 'verses. This part covers what is known as the Abramsverse. All things JJ Abrams. Rebecca runs us through the main Abramsverse shows - Felicity, Alias and Lost before we take a detour and talk about Fandom and how the interaction between fans and creators/actors of movies/TV shows has changed to being extremely toxic at times. We then jump back on the Abramsverse train and finish up with Fringe and the new Star Trek movies. When this episode was recorded, Star Trek Beyond had just come out, so you'll hear us talk about it, even though now it's out on DVD. Part 2 will cover the Whedonverse. All things Joss Whedon.

Recorded back in July, Caitlin joins Tales from the Fandom for its 25th episode. Caitlin and I discuss a number of fandoms she's interested in. We first start off with Harry Potter and how she got involved in the fandom. We talk about favorite characters, underrated characters and more. We also talk about The Cursed Child, which at the time of recording, had not been released yet. Then we talk Pokemon and Pokemon Go (which had just been released). We talk about the TV show before talking about the various games. We then talk about Glee, the TV series that started strong and went downhill from there. We talk about the rise and fall, characters and story lines and more. We wrap up with talking about how Caitlin and cosplay. How she got into it, her costumes she's done and what is in store for her future. You can find Caitlin at: https://www.instagram.com/atheatrephile/ https://www.facebook.com/atheatrephilecosplay/