We return to Australia after many a year as Darvily joins me for this episode! I had stumbled across her on Threads and loved the fandoms she was into, and we get to jump into a few of them for this episode.

Darvily and I kick things off with talking about the broad topic of video games. We talk about the first games that she experienced, starting with Spyro. We focus on a few games that Darvily specifically was into over the years, including Animal Crossing, Pokemon, and Skyrim. Darvily also talks about some of her favorite indie games that she likes and recommends. Want the recommendations? Listen!

From video games, we make our way into the realm of Fantasy Fandom. We talk about Darvily's love of How To Train Your Dragon, books like Lord of the Rings, Fourth Wing, and A Court of Thorns and Roses, to name a few. We also bundle in talk about Renfaires in Australia, as well as Darvily's experience with Dungeons and Dragons.

We then wrap up with a conversation about Cosplay. Darvily talks about getting into Cosplay, along with some of the character she does. From Spider suits to Renfaire looks, Sailor Umbreon, and more. We talk about how she decides and chooses her looks and what she's working on for this year.

You can find Darvily at:

https://www.instagram.com/darvilyyy/

https://linktr.ee/darvily

https://www.tiktok.com/@darvilyy

https://www.twitch.tv/darvily

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

I stumbled across Stacy on Threads back in early 2025 when she posted about who she was hoping the algorithim would bring to her account. I followed Stacy for awhile and then realized "I bet she has an Instagram page" and followed her work there too. One of my favorite things about Stacy is that she wants to build and engage with those who do follow her on her platforms. I love that, and it's one of the things I enjoyed as I got to know her.

This episode is split in half! The first half we're talking about Fantasy and Romantasy books. Stacy talks about what she looks for in a book, and what she's drawn to in the Romantasy sphere. We cover a number of different books including Cruel Prince, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and more. Stacy's full list of recommended titles is at the bottom of the show notes including links to purchase!

The second half of the episode features Stacy talking about what she creates! From her fantasy inspired costumes to the photography that goes along with it - including great behind the scenes stories on some of her iconic shots from her instagram. Stacy gives us the inside scoop and I am absolutely here for it. We also talk about renaissance faires and fantasy balls, including Stacy's upcoming appearance at FrostFire Ball by Storybook Soirees (link in the notes for ticket info!)

Books that Stacy recommended are:

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black - https://amzn.to/3LkH4gd

A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas - https://amzn.to/4qNzFoG

Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas - https://amzn.to/454cG0d

The Assassin's Blade novella by Sarah J. Maas - https://amzn.to/3LumYQH

The Rogue King by Abigail Owen - https://amzn.to/4svVQS5

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros - https://amzn.to/4sz7UC1

Quicksilver by Callie Hart - https://amzn.to/4jxcX1C

You can find more info about FrostFire Ball at: https://www.storybooksoirees.com/frostfire-ball

You can find Stacy at:

https://www.instagram.com/stacylkellam/

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

https://www.tiktok.com/@stacylkellam

https://linktr.ee/stacylkellam

As 2025 ended, I kept stumbling across this really wonderful reels on Instagram that kept going into the lore of The Lord of the Rings fandom. After being shown these several times and being captivated, I followed Kaia on Instagram. After a little bit more, I knew I wanted to have her as a guest and delve into Middle Earth lore.

Kaia and I talk about everything The Lord of the Rings that we can fit into one non-extended edition podcast episode! From how she got interested in this fandom to start with, to how she continued her journey and where it has taken her today.

We cover everything. From The Hobbit to The Lord of the Rings trilogy, to The Silmarillion. From the animated movies to the Peter Jackson trilogy, The Hobbit movies, Rings of Power TV series, and War of the Rohirrim.

And yes, we talk about Tom Bombadil, The Eagles (not the band), Viggo Mortensen breaking his toe, and sadly, the toxic side of the fandom.

This is a great time to learn about The Lord of the Rings, dive into some deeper lore like an audio version of Wikipedia, and learn about what challenge I'm taking in 2026 when it comes to this fandom.

You can find Kaia at:

https://www.instagram.com/kaiakayy/

https://www.tiktok.com/@kaiakays

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

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

https://substack.com/@measse

https://linktr.ee/kaiakay

Lola Valentine of Winx Forever Podcast joins me for the final episode of 2025! We're talking all about the Winx Club Fandom!

This is a first for the podcast, as I knew nothing about the Winx Club show(s) and movies and only had knowledge via people who cosplayed certain characters. Lola is gracious and gives me (and you listening) a great background into Winx Club, which started in 2004!

Lola talks about the original Winx Club series, a 4Kids production back in 2004. We talk about how Lola was definitely the target audience for the show, and how she learned about it back then. We talk about its origins in Italy, being brought to the US, and the 4Kids Dub vs future dubs. We get an overview of the story, the characters, and what kept Lola coming back to the fandom.

We talk about the shows, the movies, the live action series on Netflix, and the newest Winx Club iteration, Winx Club: The Magic is Back.

Lola also talks about the origin of her podcast, Winx Forever Podcast. We talk about how she got started, what people can expect from it, and what the podcast has meant for her and the Winx Club fandom in general.

You can find Lola and the Winx Club Forever Podcast at:

https://www.winxforeverpodcast.com/

https://www.youtube.com/user/WinxForeverNews

https://www.instagram.com/winxforeverpodcast/

https://open.spotify.com/show/5zf5Do3T1hy6wgNE6nKmVf?si=67c3430b674e4338

https://discord.gg/VPCZUYqhMJ

Twitch streamer and fellow Hyrule Gaming Group member Byuka returns to the podcast as we talk about the world wide release of the Umamusume: Pretty Derby game.

After nearly a year and a half, Byuka comes back to the podcast as we talk about an app/game that has taken over our lives. Japanese horse girl racing game, Umamusume: Pretty Derby, released world wide earlier this year. A game that has been in Asia for several years, Umamusume providers the player a chance to train and race their favorite horse girl over the course of a 3 year period.

What will you train? Speed? Wit? Will you give them recreation time? How often will you let them rest? And what skills will your horsegirl obtain in the course of their career? It's highly deep in strategy, frustrating with the RNG at times, and has deep lore for each character - and each character being based on a real horse that exists (or existed).

We go over a lot of what we love about the game, the lore and history, how we play, plus tips and tricks!

Go check out Umamusume: Pretty Derby, and send me your trainer code so we can be friends!

Check out this website for game information!

https://gametora.com/umamusume/training-event-helper

You can find Byuka at:

https://www.twitch.tv/byuka

You can listen to Byuka's previous episode at:

https://talesfromthefandom.libsyn.com/episode-366-byuka-talks-final-fantasy-world-building-video-games-twich-streaming-and-vtubing

Real life friend, 7x podcast guest, and multi-award winning author Eden Royce joins me from England as we get to catch up, talk her latest works, and more!

We start things off by talking about her latest book, Psychopomp & Circumstance. It's her first published work geared towards adults. Billed as a historical southern gothic fantasy, we talk about how this book came about. From her writing process for adults vs children, the themes of the books, the characters, and the setting. I won an ARC, so I was able to read it a few months ago and there are certain scenes that still stick with me from this book. We also talk about some of her previously published works.

Then, Eden talks about her latest announcement. Eden is co-writing a horror/thriller anime called Webe: Spirit Detective under the production company, N LITE, and being executive producerd by Jaden and Willow Smith. Eden talks about how she was found specifically for this movie, the work and how its different than writing her novels and short stories, and what this may lead to for the future. Eden and I talk about which works of hers may she'd love to see get translated for the visual medium.

We wrap things up by talking about what she's working on currently or planning for the future!

Purchase Psychopomp & Circumstance at:

UK - Afrori Books https://afroribooks.co.uk/products/psychopomp-circumstance-by-eden-royce-published-25-nov-2025?_pos=1&_sid=f883b1577&_ss=r

US - Signed copy via Sistah SciFi https://sistahscifi.com/products/preorder-signed-psychopomp-circumstance-by-eden-royce?srsltid=AfmBOop-TsO-2T7EnHsHPTPttQSQAwqA_jF9A8vOWkJzY_Nolv6Gvoz6

or on Amazon at: https://amzn.to/49cn2xP

Purchase Conjure Island at:

https://amzn.to/3NK2gJR

Purchase Root Magic at:

https://amzn.to/3pqJkaz

Purchase Who Lost, I Found at:

https://www.brokeneyebooks.com/store/p110/Who_Lost_I_Found.html#/

or on Kindle at: https://amzn.to/49cn2xP

Purchase The Black Girl Survives In This One at:

https://amzn.to/3PwNnNu

Purchase Blackened Roots: An Anthology of the Undead at:

https://amzn.to/42ZCYgn

You can find Eden at:

http://edenroyce.com/

https://bsky.app/profile/edenroyce.bsky.social

https://www.instagram.com/edenroycebooks/

You can listen to Eden's previous podcast episodes here:

Episode 2: https://talesfromthefandom.libsyn.com/episode-2-eden-royce

Project 13 Dark: https://talesfromthefandom.libsyn.com/project-13-dark-kickstarter

One Year Anniversary: https://talesfromthefandom.libsyn.com/one-year-anniversary-special-with-jachelle-overstreet-eden-royce-ginny-not-weasley-cosplay-bailey-vea-and-andie-jay

Women in Tabletop Gaming special episode: https://talesfromthefandom.libsyn.com/15-eden-royce-women-in-tabletop-gaming-month

Book Trek: Eden Royce, Author of Root Magic:

https://talesfromthefandom.libsyn.com/book-trek-eden-royce-author-of-root-magic

Episode 324: https://talesfromthefandom.libsyn.com/episode-324-eden-royce-returns-and-talks-conjure-island-root-magic-and-more

After following them for quite some time, I am joined by the wonderful FreakazoidCosplay (aka Ashley) for a great discussion about some of their favorite fandoms.

We first kick things off with the dual superhero powers, DC and Marvel. Ashley talks about how they first got their start with DC - from the animated series and movies, to the most recent slate, the comics, and much more. We're talking about what their favorites are, their favorite characters, and how it was growing up in a Marvel household. Which leads directly into how they finally got into Marvel. What their first entry point was, the movies they like, the characters that keeps them coming back for more (and which characters don't - and some may surprise you!) We talk about the upcoming Avengers movie w/Dr. Doom, and what they hope for in the future.

Then, after we're all superheroed out, we delve into Netflix's Castlevania series. Ashley talks about how they found out about the show, their favorite characters, and what drew them to the series (and its sequel). We talk about how highly rated the series is, and how if you've not watched it, why its worth the watch.

We wrap up with talking about Cosplay. Ashley talks about their first experiences getting into the cosplay scene, parental support, and and the characters they represent (including an anime throwback that caught me off guard!). We talk about photo shoots, con experiences, and what their future and dream cosplays are.

You can find Ashley at:

https://www.instagram.com/freakazoidcosplay/

https://www.tiktok.com/@freakazoidcosplay

https://linktr.ee/Freakazoidcosplay

Central Florida creator Sarah aka SpiritDaySarah returns to the podcast after 18 months. I always enjoy seeing what Sarah is doing and creating and am glad to welcome her back.

For this episode, Sarah had something special to talk about. While we still remain in the realm of content creation, cosplaying, and bounding, Sarah discusses what it is like doing all that while pregnant.

Sarah goes over 5 tips to help creators who are or may become pregnant in the future and advice on how she's had to adapt and pivot her content over the past several months. We talk about batching content, writing down ideas that could work over a period of time, changes in what she's able to do and the times she's able to create, and so much more.

There's a lot of behind the scenes talk in this episode and even if pregnancy isn't in your future, Sarah's tips work well for any creator.

You can find Sarah at:

https://www.instagram.com/spiritdaysarah/

https://www.tiktok.com/@spiritdaysarah

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

You can listen to Sarah's first episode here:

https://talesfromthefandom.libsyn.com/episode-352-sarah-aka-spiritdaysarah-talks-disneybounding