June 6th reflects the anniversary of Tales from the Fandom. This episode also serves as the 10 year anniversary, as well as the birthday of our returning guest, Ali aka The.Ali.Way

Recorded back in February, Ali returns after nearly 3 years since his first episode. Our conversation focuses all about Ali and his journey as a creator. In our first episode, Ali seemed to be right at the start of reaching that brass ring in the content creator space. We now reflect on the years since that release. From attending movie premieres, working/partnering with brands to create content and reviews for them, and more. Ali talks about his experiences with them, as well as growing as a person and brand, and evolving. From bounding and dancing, to opportunities with modeling and working and walking in Toronto Fashion week.

Throughout this conversation, we talk about how Ali is bridging the gap of who he was 3 years ago to who he is now. We talk about how he focuses on making sure that each post he makes fit not just his brand, but also for his community. He talks about creating with intention, being his authentic self, and pushing himself to new opportunities and growth.

Ali is one of those people I just love to see in my feed. To see his continued success and I am just so happy that we were able to get back together to celebrate him!

You can find Ali at:

https://www.instagram.com/the.ali.way/

https://www.threads.com/@the.ali.way

https://www.thealiway.me/

You can listen to Ali's original episode at:

https://talesfromthefandom.libsyn.com/ep-331-ali-aka-the-ali-way-talks-disney-pixar-the-marvel-cinematic-universe-dance-and-bounding

Returning for a 3rd episode and to help us get closer to our 10th anniversary, Arizona cosplayer and creator Sara Moni Cosplay joins me. We originally recorded an episode in 2016 during my first year, and then she returned in 2020. Now here we are, reflecting on the past, present, and futures of our fandoms and passions.

We kick things off with a through line through our previous conversations, as we once again return to the X-Men. We talk about the past several years of X-Men media, from movies like New Mutants, to X-Men 97, and the inclusion of X-Men characters in the MCU. Sara and I discuss what could be coming in the MCU with Doomsday, and what she'd like to see from the future of the X-Men and other mutants in the MCU. Sara and I also dip our toes into the comics by talking about the Krakoa run.

From there, we talk about something new. Monster High doll collecting. We talk about how Sara's gotten into this new space of fandom and how her collection has grown and the process of adding to the collection. Plus, we talk about the characters lend themselves well to be cosplayed.

We wrap up with a great overview of what Sara is doing now. We talk about her recent addition of streaming on Twitch to all the content she creates. Sara talks about what you can expect to find on her Twitch streams (which are really neat to sit and listen/watch). We also talk about her social media, her continued time in Cosplay over the past 10 years since I've been following her, and we reflect on the closure of JoAnn and how it has affected the cosplay community since.

You can find SaraMoniCosplay at:

https://www.instagram.com/saramonicosplay/

https://www.twitch.tv/saramonicosplay

https://www.youtube.com/@saramonicosplay

https://www.facebook.com/SaraMonicosplay

https://saramoni.carrd.co/

You can listen to her previous episodes here:

https://talesfromthefandom.libsyn.com/episode-179-sara-moni-returns

https://talesfromthefandom.libsyn.com/episode-28-sara-moni

TW: Mental Health discussions

On the same day we celebrate the 49th anniversary of Star Wars, Jessica of Rebellion of Hope Podcast joins me to celebrate and talk about the famed fandom, plus a whole lot more!

I've been following Jessica for quite some time from the lead up to launch of her Star Wars podcast, Rebellion of Hope. We finally were able to get together and I could host her on my podcast. We kick things off by decidely NOT talking about Star Wars, as we talk about Avatar: The Last Airbender. We mainly stay in the animated series realm, as we talk about how Jessica got into Avatar, favorite characters, what kind of bender she'd be, and the connection between this show and Star Wars media for her.

Then, we travel to a fandom from a galaxy far, far away. We spend a lot of time talking about Star Wars. From how Jessica got into Star Wars, how it got her through tough times in life, and getting into the fandom more and more. We talk about a lot of the media, from Clone Wars, to the Mandalorian, The Acolyte, and more. We discuss the EU/Legends, and Disney's decision to move into their own choices with the Star Wars universe. We also talk about her Star Wars podcast, Rebellion of Hope, and what she has done/is doing as a positive voice in the Star Wars fandom. We also talk about Star Wars conventions, panels, and so much more.

We also talk about Jessica's desire to strike out on her own and starting her own business, Asteria Outpost. You'll hear the background behind that, what Jessica does to source the items she sells for her brand, and being an entrepreneur in these times.

You can find Jessica and Rebellion of Hope Podcast at:

https://linktr.ee/rebellionofhope

https://www.instagram.com/therebellionofhope/

https://www.threads.com/@therebellionofhope

https://www.youtube.com/@therebellionofhope

You can find Asteria Outpost at:

https://asteriaoutpost.com/

https://www.instagram.com/asteriaoutpost/

https://www.threads.com/@asteriaoutpost