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://winxforeverpodcast.carrd.co/

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

It's always fun bonding with people over shared interests. For Olivia and I, it was Star Wars and The Bad Batch series. It was a pleasure getting to have Olivia join me on the podcast to talk about this, and so much more!

We start things off by by getting into Marvel and The X-Men fandom. Olivia talks about some of her favorite movies/shows that exist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and what keeps her coming back for more. We talk about some of her favorites (one of her favorite movies may surprise you!) and then we talk about The X-Men. From X-Men 93 and 97, to comics, and what she's hoping for in the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe when it comes to the X-Men, including one mutant that made my jaw drop.

Then we find ourselves in the galaxy far, far away to talk Star Wars. Olivia talks about her first experiences with the fandom, from the movies to TV shows, and characters. Olivia talks about her love of shows like Rebels, how she's catching up on shows she missed, and what we're expecting from the future movies/shows that have been announced.

Musical Theater is next. Olivia talks about how and when she started on the stage, and what drives her to entertain. We talk about some of her experiences and roles, including being Flounder on a Disney cruise ship. Now that she's back on land, we talk about what she's working towards now and her future on stage and screen.

We then wrap up by talking about Cosplay. Olivia talks about getting into cosplay, the characters that she cosplays as, and some of the future plans for her as an individual along with potential future group shoots. We also talk briefly about her podcast, Damsels Distressing, which should be returning soon!

You can find Olivia at:

https://www.instagram.com/thelibraliv/

https://beacons.ai/thelibraliv

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

You can find Damsels Distressing at:

https://www.instagram.com/damselsdistressing/

https://open.spotify.com/show/6k5p1sBYJtXryIWlc9BCvr?si=8c1fb274a42f4aaf

We have another international guest joining us, as Anshie Shinohara joins me from Germany! After stumbling across her Aerith cosplays on Instagram, I'm happy to welcome her to the podcast.

Anshie and I start off with the only topic we could start with, Final Fantasy 7. Anshie talks about how she first got into the video game, back in the original Playstation days. We talk about what kept her coming back to that franchise, her experiences beyond 7, and then returning to the game with Remake and Rebirth. We cover who her favorite characters are, her thoughts on the remake storyline, and what she hopes for how the story ends this time.

From there, we go into a topic Aerith would be proud to talk about - Gardening. Anshie discusses how she first got into gardening and her history with it, some of her favorite plants, and her current gardening situation. We talk about a plant she'd love to have, and her advice for those who may be interested in gardening.

We wrap up with Cosplay. Anshie has been cosplaying for over 20 years, and she talks about how she first got started with cosplay. This includes a great story about dying her hair pink for a character, some of the characters she's cosplayed over the years, and her love of representing Aerith from Final Fantasy 7. We talk about a few designs she'd love to do in the future, and some behind the scenes talk about some of the photographs on her page.

You can find Anshie at:

https://www.instagram.com/anshie_shinohara/

https://linktr.ee/Anshie

https://anshie.de/

I'm excited to have the Angel of Hell's Kitchen, Alli, join me from Philadelphia for this latest episode of the podcast! We get to talk about some wonderful fandoms and her work.

Alli and I kick things off by talking about The Hunger Games franchise. We cover both the movies and books (including Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and The Sunrise on the Reaping). Alli discusses some of the differences between them, and why she loves and revists the series often. We talk about favorite characters, favorite movies, and more. We also explore the idea of potential future books (and movies) and which characters we'd love to see featured.

From there, we go to Westeros to talk about Game of Thrones. Alli talks about how she first got into the HBO series, and what kept her coming back for more. We talk about her favorite house and characters, her thoughts on the series, and what she'd love to see if there were even more spinoff's.

Then we get to Marvel. We focus primarily on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with what movies Alli started with, and her favorite movies/shows. We talk about favorite characters, thoughts on the upcoming movies (especially the future X-Men movie), as well as characters not yet in the MCU - Psylocke, and Silk. We briefly discuss some of the comics those characters appear in.

Lastly, we wrap up with a conversation about Cosplay. Alli talks about how she first got into Cosplay, as well as how she chooses which characters to cosplay. We talk about some of the ideas she has for photoshoots, and what she'd love to do in the future with cosplay.

You can find Alli at:

https://www.instagram.com/angel_ofhellskitchen/

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