I'm a Fan of That!

Inspired by our own files going wrong, we decided to do an episode all on when fandom goes wrong. We focus a lot on the happy postive sides of fandom, but sometimes our subjects of interest go wrong and we have to grapple with what we do with what we're left with. Especially with all these items we have. We talk about She Who Must Not Be Named, touch (very lightly) on the allegations around Neil G...

It's our annual cosplay episode! This week, we have on another guest! This time, its Jay Justice, cosplayer, public speaker, game developer, and many other wonderful things. Jay, Holly and Vivian chat about cosplay, accessibility and the notion of accuracy. We talk about accuracy in costume, and the variations of what that may mean. We chat about body accessibility, financial accessibility, and th...

Holly brings along a top hat to do a quick closet cosplay of the ultimate queer icon: the Babadook. This episode, we talk about how the Babadook became a queer icon, why discussions of feminism lead to discussions around queer identities, and how horror is such a good facilitator to carry social commentary. We also have many random trails along the way, including the tv show Hannibal, Shape of Wat...

Today we are announcing something we never thought we would. We're launching a Patreon! Check it out: patreon.com/fanofthatpod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello and welcome to Taskmaster! Oh, I mean, Welcome to I'm a Fan of That! Holly and Vvian chat about the UK panel show Taskmaster. We talk about what we think makes the show so successful, including the size of set, the comraderie of the crew, and the incredible size of the host. Check Out Rapid City Library Tiktok Taskmaster YouTube Our Socials Vivian's Instagram Holly's Instagram The Pod's Inst...

Today, Vivian has changed the plot to talk about Stardew Valley and cosy games in general. We talk about how to define the genre of cosy games, by looking at games that fit or don't fit the various aspects and definitions provided. We chat about how some games can be made cosy, how different Vivian and Holly's gaming habits are, and chat about the strange capitalistic nature of contemporary cosy g...

Today's an extra lovely bonus episode! We were inspired to come and chat together on a hot summer day because it was just so important to discuss the news of Dashcon 2. We reminesce on what Dashcon was before, and all the trainwreck cons that have come after. But that's not all! The amazing worlds of fandom have also given us Taylor Swift vs Lestat, the vampire. That's right, Swifities are current...

Today, we're talking about Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and the claims some make about it being one of the first sci-fi novels. Holly chats about the history of science fiction stories, and the development of Frankenstein. Vivian explores the definition of science in contrast to magic and the problematic origins of this distinction. We also talk about other related things, like mythology, science...

Today we sit down and talk all things TTRPGs with Nathan Blades, game designer, writer, voice actor, streamer, and much more. We chat about the role of communal storytelling, and the way that narratives come together around a table of people. We also talk about the differences between playing for an audience on an actual play, and playing for fun with friends. Check out Nathan's Stuff! Nathan Blad...

On today's episode, Vivian brings in her beautiful American flatbow, called Tiamat. And through this, we talk about Sports Anime! I know, a bit of a leap, but Tsurune, an anime about boys doing archery, is probably a nice place to start. We chat about the demographics of sports anime, explain a little bit about archery, chat about what makes an anime a sports anime, and gush about how much we abso...

On this episode, Holly brings forward the Dream Cycle by H.P. Lovecraft, as well as their book from Call of Cthulhu. Yes! We're talking about Lovecraft and the Cthulhu Mythos! Topics include: communal storytelling and collaborative fiction, fanfiction, the ideas of monstrosity, queer monstrosity, and death of the author. Images of Holly's Lovecraft books Reading and Enjoyment List Rudolf Otto's Id...

Today, we don't have an object. Instead, we have a person! Comic writer and enthusiast Kieron Gillan joins us today to chat all things comic books! We talk about comic books and religion, the nature of mythology and storytelling, and the absolute power of narrative. Check out Kieron's Stuff! Kieron's Website Check out Kieron's new book Power Fantasy in August! Our Socials Vivian's Instagram Holly'...

Today, we're YEEHAWing into the story of the cowboy. But we're not just chatting about it generally, we're talking about it in relation to queer culture, and other marginalised groups. And while we do talk a little bit about the historical cowboy, we focus on the myth of the cowboy and how the story of it is understood and explored by its audience. And then we talk about how the mythology is being...

To kick off Season 2, Vivian wants to talk about her two favourite subjects: The Legend of Zelda and Mythology. We chat about storytelling, definitions of mythology, implicit mythology, and why the Zelda series is so wonderfully special to Vivian. Vivian's copy of the Hyrule Historia Reading List VIvian's Video Essay on the Zelda Timeline Jonathan Miles-Watson's Cathedral on the Ridge Vivian Asimo...

In a Fortnight we'll be giving you Season 2, but we coudn't wait to talk about Taylor Swift again because of the fanfare that has accompanied her newest album, the Tortured Poets Department Our Socials Vivian's Instagram Holly's Instagram The Pod's Instagram Buy Our Books! Buy Holly's Book! Preorder Vivian's Book! Music for this episode was Nowhere Land by Kevin MacLead Licensed under Creative Com...

Merry Christmas, everyone! or whatever holiday time you're taking for yourself. But today, we're talking about Christmas because we watched the Muppet Christmas Carol, the best adaptation of the Dickens novel according to Holly. We chat about adaptation, what makes a good one or a bad one, what's the difference between adaptation and re-imaginings, and the social pressures of Christmas time. Fun E...

Holly and Vivian finally talk about cosplay! Just kidding, we know we've accidentally talked about cosplay a lot throughout the season, but this time we mean to talk about cosplay the whole time. In this cosplay special, we wanted to focus on the role of cosplay competitions in the community, and also how this impacts both the actual and the perceived accessibility of cosplay. We chat about race,...

On this slightly chaotic episode, Holly and Vivian chat about the Trigun reboot, and reboots more generally. We talk about how storytelling can change, how anime storytelling has changed, and how nostalgia plays on all of us. Our Socials Vivian's Instagram Holly's Instagram The Pod's Instagram Music for this episode was Nowhere Land by Kevin MacLead Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution...

On this week of Fan of That Podcast, Vivian brings her arm. Yes,her arm! A few years ago, Vivian got a tattoo of the words from the One Ring around her arm. Holly also has some tattoos based on fandoms. So today, we talk about fan tattoos, what people think of them, and how they can demonstrate our identities, connections and what is so immensely meaningful. Vivian's Lord of the Rings Tattoo Holly...

This week, Vivian wants to talk about pop music, and specifically Taylor Swift's newest album Midnights. To really get the full knowledge of what this album means to both Taylor Swift and - more importantly for our purposes - her fandom, Vivian hops into history corner to give a concise overview of the history of Taylor Swift's position in the spotlight and her ever changing view of herself. We ta...

This week, Holly struggles to chat with fangs in their mouth because we're talking about vampires! More directly, we're chatting about Anne Rice's Interview with a Vampire, and the great fanfiction debacle of the early internet years. Strap in you youngin' listeners as Old Folks Vivian and Holly explain how the internet used to be with online chat rooms and the early days of fanfiction and fandom...

In this episode, Holly brings their copy of Shakespeare's Histories as an entryway for us to talk about the history of Shakespeare. Get it? In history corner, Holly talks about what the Shakespeare Jubilee was, how it worked, and what it did for the history of fan conventions. We talk about conventions and how amazing they are, as well as how fan conventions function as spaces of imagination. And...

In this episode, Vivian brings her handknitted Lord of the Rings scarf - a double knitted scarf with the One Ring rhyme and the Tree of Gondor. Vivian learned to knit in high school, and always enjoys making something related to her lovely fandoms. So we talk about it! We chat about communities of creativity, and the powerful bonds formed when you meet people who love making and your media choices...

On this episode of I'm a Fan of That, Vivian brings a fringed eye mask worn by country singer Orville Peck. We talk about the masked country singer, and the power of that amazing fringed mask. Holly brings their love of folk music, and Vivian brings her obsession with Orville Peck, to talk about the way he tells his stories in such a way that it becomes tied intimately with the LGBT Community. An...

This week, Holly brings their Arc Reactor to the party, and a detailed conversation about the history of the growth of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We also talk about the relationship grown with Disney and the formulaic nature of super hero films and stories. And Vivian teaches Holly the idea of the "Nigella Effect". Pic of an Arc Reactor (Holly accidently misplaced theirs) Reading List CNet art...